#1 Christmas Eve Service of ALL time!!! (yes, they are ranked)

Out of all the Christmas Eve services I have attended, 2012 ranks as the #1 Christmas Eve Service of all time. Think about that, as a preacher's kid I have been to A LOT of Christmas Eve services.  The past couple of years I have gone to two Christmas Eve Services and last year was the best one of all time. So that's saying something!

I know I know, I am jumping the gun a little bit talking about Christmas Eve.  I look forward to Christmas Eve like most kids look forward to Christmas morning. The shopping is complete (for the most part, except maybe that late run for a stocking stuffer).  On Christmas afternoon you start to focus on the money you spent, on the take backs that need to be done, the mess that has been created and your exhausted.

However, Christmas Eve is great!  Time with family, the feeling of joy and hope and the tradition of going to the Christmas Eve Service.

Let me note here that we need to remember the reason for the season; the birth of our Savior......all the stuff you probably already know.  I am afraid this post is going to offend some, so I wanted to mention that. I also want to remind you God likes to laugh (I hope, or I'm in trouble).  So don't be offended from this point on just enjoy the retelling of the best Christmas Eve Service Ever.

Okay here we go. This is exciting to tell.  First, my parents went with us to our church service.  It was a good service. The music was probably louder than my parents prefer, but it was a really good service and the Christmas spirit was running high.

A couple of hours later we went to my parent's church.  Hands down their church won!  Okay okay your right, this isn't a competition and I am missing the point on these services. That being said their church won- by a land slide!

Let me set the stage.  Their church is traditional. Quieter.  It feels more reverent.   It has a choir and the choir wears choir robes.  It has a very similar feel to the church I grew up in as a child. Already it has a slight edge because it feels like traditional Christmas Eve to me.

Kelly and I arrive with our kids and the sanctuary is pretty full.  We sit in the pew behind my parents. See it's traditional, I said "pew" not folding chair.  My brother's family has arrived around the same time.  I  have not been sitting down for a minute before my brother sits down in front of me.  This already has "not good" written all over it.  Three elements spell trouble (1) a quiet service (2) my brother within earshot (3) my mom giving her grown sons worried looks and saying "your not too old to get in trouble" with just a look, no words.

Scott is 6'8 inches tall and I am 6'1.  As he sits down, I grumble, "Well, I can't see anymore" as if I am talking to Kelly.  Since Scott and I both have Christmas Eve giddiness that is all it took. Scott starts laughing and his shoulders are shaking.  Mom, in disbelief, is already shooting him looks like "are you kidding me?"

That visual is enough to make me start laughing and suddenly tension has filled the extremely quiet sanctuary. Our wives are thinking "oh no" and start trying to control a train they can see leaving the rails.

In the middle of my brother and I laughing the more we try to gain control the more we lose it.

At this point it is like my mother calls the angels in heaven to come calm us down.  I kid you not I have never seen this before, the choir surrounds us!  The choir comes down both sides of the church, stops and starts singing.  My brother and I are both on the end of our respective pews.  We could both reach out and touch a choir member 2 feet away.

Of all the songs they could sing they start singing a very high pitched song with the words "Still Still" in an opera kind of style.  It was like they were singing right at us!  I know the choir had put in a lot of time rehearsing and we needed to stop, but the pressure and holiness of the situation only made matters worse.  Our laughing was getting out of control and the mama wasn't happy.

We regained control and marveled to our self that mom had the power to send a whole fleet of choir people in choir robes to come tell us to be still!

That did not hold a prayer to a song that would be sung towards the end of the service.  Every great Christmas Eve service has a candle lighting moment.  The instructions are always the same. The person with the unlit candle gets the fire from the lit candle. The lit candle is always to be held straight up.  This keeps hot wax from dripping.

Scott and I had redeemed ourselves and were holding our lit candles singing joyfully "silent night holy night...".  What happened next I had never witnessed before, though I had heard stories of it occurring.

A little girl in the pew in front of my mom caught her hair on fire and did not realize it was on fire! The hair spray in her hair caused the fire to grow rapidly.   My mom put it out with her bare hands. Needless to say, the fire got put out pretty quick and the little girl was unharmed or this story would not be funny.

My nephew sitting beside my mom had a great view on the whole situation. I of course could not see through the commotion and this large Goliath sitting in front of me.  By my nephew's account the dad had a reaction you don't hear much at a Christmas eve service.  As he looked down the pew and saw his daughter's hair on fire he lunged toward her saying, "Holy Sh**!"

Two things here (1) we must give him credit because he said Holy (2) we should not judge him, his daughters hair was on fire- enough said.  I think you get a pass on any comments when you have a child on fire.

The candlelight service concluded and we knew we had been a part of a instant classic.  I was already having a little sadness that both Christmas Eve services were over. I was already looking down the road to next year.

The good news, it is already October 2013 and Christmas Eve is right around the corner.

                      Lucy on the look out for Christmas




Ahhh yes, the smell of Christmas and burnt hair is in the air.

"Still Still"


Any funny Christmas Eve Services you want to share?

Robb

Is Your Church and The Church in sync?

Your t-shirt says, "I Love My Church!" Do your actions show that you love THE church?  I guess it's the jaded marketing person in me, but I have never really been a fan of those shirts.  It almost seems like damage control "despite what you have heard, all is well, and .... I love my church."  It reminds me of the "I love my wife" bumper stickers.  You read them and go "uh oh, what did he do?"  I think it may be better for your church or your wife, for you to show it versus quote it.    Now I will stop being jaded because I know some great people who own those shirts, bumper stickers, and coffee mugs with those exact quotes and are Christian role models for me.

I love church buildings and have for a long time. I get to travel a lot with my job and I love seeing different churches. If I see a church when I arrive in a new town I immediately feel more at home. I see a building where people have invested in worshiping God together and were thinking of something bigger than themselves.  I see a church that was thinking of future generations and was also focused on sharing the good news.  However, I do think we as Christians can promote "our church" and be more concerned about the health of "our church" than "THE church."

Many churches are in financial trouble these days. You can find a church building for sale in many towns. Larger cities may have several church buildings for sale. Some church buildings are actually home to more than one denomination that worship together.  The denominations have joined together under one roof feeling they are stronger together than apart.  Other churches are expanding their reach with satellite locations in surrounding cities. Still, other churches are in strip malls, movie theatres, and school buildings.

Let me share some pictures I have taken of various church buildings here in Kentucky.  The first is a picture of a church for sale.  It should be noted that while this church has seen better days, there is a church that seemed to be doing pretty well directly across the street.

Here is a picture of a church built in 1940 just about a mile from my home.  It is now someone's house and the kitchen cabinets are made from the former church pews.

Here is a picture of a church that used to be a Jewish synagogue and a Protestant church. However, since 1973 it has been a restaurant called Joe Bolognas serving up good pizza and great foot long bread sticks with garlic butter, but I digress.

This building used to be The Lexington Mall and has now been converted into Southland Christian church.  I think it's pretty cool to see a mall converted into a church versus a church closing and becoming something else.

In March of 2012, a tornado struck the town of West Liberty, Kentucky.  Below are pictures I took of two churches struck by the tornado.

It is really easy to see damage to the exterior of a church building.  It is much harder for some to see the damage on the inside of a church building. By this I mean all of the imperfections we as an imperfect people bring with us to church. We are an imperfect people worshiping a perfect God.  We may judge the person in front of us and think to our self  "please, why do you have your hands raised up during this song? what a show boat!" or "why doesn't the person in front of me have their hands up in the air like me? They must not love Jesus like I do.  I am feeling it today!"

As Christians, we love to love OUR church. "OUR church must be the way music was meant to be done. OUR church must be the perfect size church that God likes the best. OUR church wears the clothes that God prefers.  Why don't the other churches just close shop and stop embarrassing themselves? Come to OUR church where we do things the right way, God's way.  Not to get off topic, but those are not the things that define a church. Those may help define the personality of your church, but it is not right or wrong.  The important thing is that Jesus is alive in your church building and the Holy Spirit is allowed to work in and among the people in your church.  

I used to be a little sad to see churches closed, for sale, turned into a restaurant or a residence.  I guess I still am to some extent, but I now see sometimes it is for the best. I read a book called Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud which may have helped my perspective. Sometimes the church may have moved to a better location or to a larger building due to growth. Others may have closed due to a merger with another church. I am sure there has been a church or two that was so sick on the inside with pride and personal agenda it was not a bad thing it had to close.

I know the importance of belonging to a church.  This article is not to bash the local church.  In fact, I think it is clear that Christians need to belong to a local church family.  I have enjoyed the majority of my years in healthy church(s). Not a perfect church, but a healthy church. The ability to worship God together, share the good news, serve together, and have a church family is fantastic. I have the pleasure of going back to West Virginia this month to be a part of a 100 year anniversary celebration for the church I grew up in and where my father was a pastor.

I think a healthy local church is more concerned with THE church and it's mission than their own bricks and mortar. We as believers are "The Church." How many of us have been hit by a 'life tornado' like the church pictured above? How many of us are in need of repair? If we are THE church, how do we act toward others in THE church? It is not a competition we are all on the same team. Sometimes we as believers (even pastors) forget that and strive to be the best church in town! Would we as believers not be better to glorify God the best we can and live into our unique God given purpose?  It is more important to introduce a person to Christ than YOUR church.  The person may find they are a better fit at another local church.  It would be great if you had a good friend at that sister church and you said "Oh yes, you will love it there I bet. They have a real thirst for the Lord. Let me introduce you to some friends I have there." Versus "Well, I guess you could go there but I hear the music isn't very good."

God bless the small traditional rural church with 40 people in the pews that are living out what God is calling them to do and serving who they are called to serve. God bless the contemporary mega church with thousands in the room doing what God called them to do and reach who they were called to reach.

YOUR Church and THE Church are they in sync? In my 45 years, I have been a part of three denominations- Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, and the Christian Church.  

I have only been a part of one true church- THE church.

I heard a joke when I was in college by a comedian named Emo Philips.  I laughed when I heard the joke then in the late 80's, and I still find it funny today.  It has been named one of the funniest jokes of all time, and the funniest religion joke of all time.  Emo has a very unique style of telling jokes, so print will not do it justice. That being said, here is the joke:

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

I think the joke shows how petty and silly we as believers can be at times. 1 Corinthians 13:1 comes to mind here "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal."

The Billy Graham Training Center Bible reads "The church is the community of redeemed people of which Jesus is the head (Colossians 1:18).  When Jesus came to earth as the Messiah, He ushered in the "Christian" church.  Beginning with Christ's life, death, and resurrection, His people would be called "the church."  This does not refer to a building, but rather to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  The church is also referred to as the 'body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12;27).

I enjoyed a great sermon series I heard about a year ago called "Be The Church" by Griff Ray at Crossroads Christian Church here in Lexington, KY.  I think it is a good thing for us as believers to remember, "Be The Church."

I was traveling in Indiana recently and saw the sign below, so naturally I had to stop and take a picture of it.  As we travel down the road of life, let's be the church.....

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, glad I am on this journey with you!

Robb

A Family of Faith

This is about a good friend of mine, Mike Nolan and his family.  Kelly and I have been the closest of friends with the Nolan’s for more than 20 years.   The Nolan’s have three boys; Aaron, Samuel and Andrew.  They were all three born within weeks, sometimes days, of our three children.

Below is a picture of us with the Nolan’s mid July last year, only a couple weeks before this story begins. 

One year ago today, August 1^st, 2012, Mike Nolan was away on business at Stonewall Jackson Resort in Weston, West Virginia.  Mike had planned on a short two day business trip.  He did not return home until September 27^th, with his world turned upside down.  

Mike began having chest pains and passed out at Stonewall Jackson Resort while working out in the gym.  He was rushed to Stonewall Jackson Hospital in Weston, WV where a heart attack was quickly ruled out.  A CT scan revealed an aneurism the size of a tennis ball in Mike’s splenic artery.  Emergency surgery would be needed immediately.  Before surgery could be performed the aneurism ruptured.

Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital is a small rural hospital.  On a typical day the hospital is not staffed with a surgeon or an anesthesiologist.  On August 1, 2012 at 7pm a surgeon and anesthesiologist had already been called to the hospital for a appendectomy.  The operating room and the operating staff was ready and waiting when Michael’s aneurism ruptured.  During the surgery, Michael lost all of his blood and had to receive a total blood transfusion of 14 pints of blood which depleted the small hospital's blood bank.  He also went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated twice.  Michael’s entire body suffered a tremendous amount of trauma and the family was told that Michael would not most likely survive the next 48 hours. 

Sandy notified Kelly and I of Michael’s condition and we quickly made our way to the small hospital in Weston.   As Kelly and I made the 4 ½ hour drive from Lexington, KY to see Mike in the intensive care unit, we did not know what to expect.   We were not sure if we would be allowed back in ICU or not, we thought we would most likely have to wait in the waiting room and speak with Mike’s wife Sandy there.     As we entered the hospital we soon found the waiting room was full of members from the Nolan family and close friends.   Kelly and I were both allowed to enter the room where Mike lay fighting for his life.  The image we saw when we walked in that room is not something you ever wish to see nor will we ever forget.   Mike was in a coma and on a ventilator with various tubes coming out of him.  His wife Sandy and their three sons all surrounded his bed.  Sandy and their boys pleaded for Mike to take a breath on his own, to wake up.

Their oldest son Aaron, who I had always thought of as child seemed different that night.  He was 13, but was quickly transformed into a young adult.   He took on more of a leadership role for his family.  Samuel and Andrew lovingly cared for their father.   At different times members of Mike’s family and friends would all come in and speak to a man that lay their motionless.  I remember having a prayer circle around Mike that night not knowing at all what the future held.

In high school Mike was president of his senior class.  He was on the basketball team and a pitcher on the baseball team.  He was the ultimate sports fan.  As long as I have known Mike he has always  been a huge Marshall University football and basketball fan and a big Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan.   Mike has done very well professionally and was the CEO of a local community bank and the chairman of the deacons at his church.

It would be a week before Mike would come out of his coma and be transferred to St. Mary’s hospital in Huntington, WV on August 7.  Mike was at St. Mary’s hospital in Huntington, WV for three weeks. 

On August 28^th, Mike was transferred to Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Center in Lexington, KY.  Mike would be at Cardinal Hill for one month before returning home to Hurricane, WV on September 27^th.

Mike had always been the smartest guy in the room.  He always had the quite, reserved demeanor.  However, when he spoke people listened.  Due to his trauma, Mike had to learn most things over again.  He learned to sit up in bed, to get out of bed, how to walk, how to climb stairs.  Mike did not recognize his wife Sandy at first and had trouble remembering the names of their three children.

When my barber, Jeff Shrout, heard I had a friend who needed a hair cut he graciously came to Cardinal Hill.

Sandy and  Mike have clung to their faith and trusted in God to carry them through the storm that has so impacted this past year of their lives. 

Mike was given a day pass from Cardinal Hill.  This was the first time he left the hospital in 6 weeks.

Sandy has been a loving spouse with Mike every step of the way. Sandy’s hope lied in Scripture about the living God who would comfort her along the way.  She would send out updates to over a hundred people by text message with a passage of scripture.  When Sandy was too tired and emotionally drained to do it, she would instruct a friend to send out the update with a passage of scripture.

Mike had developed Godly habits that would carry him through this tough time.  He would pray out loud even when he could not remember the names of his family members.  In the earliest times of his rehabilitation at Cardinal Hill he could still sing his favorite Christian song word for word.

This may not seem appropriate but here is the truth: SOMETIMES LIFE SUCKS!  I am sure there is a more appropriate word to use, but not one more accurate.  As Rocky Balboa would say “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows”.

However, by God’s grace Mike is alive and continues to share his wisdom.   Mike and Sandy continue to give God the glory for Mike’s recovery.  Memory of his family, friends and co-workers came back quickly.  The staff at Cardinal Hill hospital were amazed at how fast Mike learned everyday tasks again.  The therapists set goals for Mike and he quickly exceeded them.  Mike had been lying on his back since his arrival at Cardinal Hill. I remember the first time he walked down the hallway on his own the staff were surprised how tall he was.

Mike's last night at Chardinal Hill.

Mike has made tremendous progress this past year.  We recently got together for dinner at Jim’s Spaghetti House in Huntington, WV and just marveled at Mike’s improvement.  I call on very educated people for a living, mostly pharmacist and physicians.  I know a lot of very intelligent people.  I called Sandy after our families had dinner together and let her know that Mike is still one of the wisest people I know.

Mike and Dr. Waid McMillion

The Nolan's went back to Stonewall Jackson on the one year anniversary to thank Dr. McMillion and all of those at the hospital.

One thing that has not changed is that Mike still speaks with integrity, intelligence and from a deep faith.  The faith of the Nolan family; Mike, Sandy, Aaron, Samuel and Andrew is something to be admired.  They praised God through a major storm in their life and continue to do so today.

Robb

Connor's baptism

On July 7, I had the pleasure and honor of baptizing my son in the ocean at Isle of Palms, SC with my father.   The baptism was witnessed by family, friends, and people we had not met, who just happened to be on the beach.

Connor had requested we sing two songs.   The first song everyone sang was “Sanctuary”, which has been a family favorite.  Kelly and I would sing this song as we rocked all three of our children to sleep as babies.  We would insert their name:

“Oh Lord let Connor be a sanctuary

Pure and Holy, Tried and True

With Thanksgiving, he’ll be a living

Sancturay for you”

As a family, we had also sung this together on nursing home visits as we held church for the residents.

The next song Connor chose was Colton Dixon’s “You Are."  My niece, Erin, and nephew, Seth, sang this while Seth played guitar and my daughter, Lauren, played violin.

Connor will question  many things in life, stumble some and have short comings.  Kelly and I assured him this baptism does not solve all of his problems or assure him he will be free in all areas he struggles.  However, as he goes through life and faces problems that may be years away, he can be assured God will walk with him.

If you are having trouble viewing the video here is the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOjuSAwjgxA

The baptism was a celebration and a witness to the decision Connor had made to follow Christ on June 24^th.  His baptism was not a “finish line” but more of a “starting line”.  It marked the beginning of his relationship with Jesus Christ.   

Clearly, all of you who were baptized in Christ’s name have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:27.

Robb

Psalm 23 or crash

On December 21st this past year I hit the back of a semi.  It was a day I had planned to not work and take as a vacation day.  I decided at the last minute work and save a vacation day.

As you can see from the pictures, I am blessed to be alive.  I had my cruise control  set on 70 mph going up a steep incline when I hit the back of a semi that was going 35 mph at best.

The scene smelled like death.  The front of the car was on fire, the smell of fuel and various fumes were in the air, broken glass was in my hair, hands, ears, etc..  Ambulance workers, a police officer and the wrecker crew alike all looked and spoke to me like they were speaking to a ghost.  "I just witnessed a miracle," the driver of the semi proclaimed.  One responder arrived and looked at my car and said to someone, "Have they already taken the body away?"  They pointed to me and said, "No that's him walking around."  By the grace of God, I was able to walk away from the crash with minor cuts and soreness.

I had planned on waiting to write about the accident in November or December later this year during the travel holidays, closer to my crash anniversary.  However, I have recently felt compelled to write it now.  Sometimes I think we often put off doing something we know could be helpful to others by "waiting until the right time" or "when I am less busy and things slow down."  I have a full time job, a wife and three active kids all of which make me feel very blessed.  I am not going to have "the perfect time" anytime soon and things are not going to "slow down."  That being said I am writing this NOW.

Why are you in a hurry?  If you are like most people, you ARE in a hurry.

I hurry because it makes me "feel" productive.  I hurry because I have a large geography to cover with my job, fear of failure and the need to provide for my family. I hurry because I want to be a good employee, a good father, a good husband.  I hurry because I procrastinate.  I hurry because I am indecisive at times.  I hurry because some people who are not in a hurry seem lazy to me. I hurry because I feel overwhelmed and forced to by my circumstances.

So again I ask, why do you hurry?

Being in a hurry does not make me productive.  It does not make me a better employee,
husband or dad.  In fact, it clouds the mind and limits a person from being their best.

Psalm 23 (1-3)
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.

Phillip Keller in his book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 points out that the vantage point of this Psalm is from the perspective of the sheep, not that of the shepherd.

"I shall not want" is a concept not held by many today.  This verse is in sharp contrast to the song lyrics from Queen "I want it all, and I want it now!"

Notice the verse says, "He "makes" me lie down in green pastures."  Have you ever felt God saying to you "that's enough, STOP" ?  I felt that when I drilled the back of the semi.

I also felt that years ago when I had emergency eye surgery and the doctor said, "You must lay on your side for two weeks."  Um, excuse me?  I have things to do.  I have a family, a job and a to-do list.  God and the doctor agreed, you are going to lay on your side for two weeks.

Jon Weece is pastor at Southland Christian Church in Lexington, KY and recently did a series called "Central Park".   Below are some points I took away:

A 1967 report to the U.S. Senate read "Labor-saving, time saving technology will change the way Americans work and live.  Within 20 years people will be working 32 weeks a year on average, at a rate of 22 hours per week, so they can retire by the age of 40."  It goes on to say "The number one challenge Americans will face with regard to time is what to do with all their excess time."

That report does not ring true for me or I would have retired five years ago.

Central Park in New York is a 843 acre paradise with 9,000 park benches. Psalm 23 is our Central Park, it is God inviting us to SLOW down.

Psalm 23  is typically read at funerals.  However, it is not about death.  The verse is about rest in life- NOW.

Think "Holy" not "Hurry".

"Few things will destroy spiritual vitality than the feeling of being rushed."

"We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives"  Dallas Willard.

I once heard a basketball coach say "go fast, but don't be in a hurry." The coach was stressing we don't make good decisions when we hurry.

Make time for God.

Alone time with God restores our soul.

The Psalm says, "He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul."

What still or quiet waters has God put in your life to restore your soul?  Is it passing ball in the back yard with your kids?  Is it that morning cup of coffee on the porch before your kids wake up-just you, God, and the birds chirping?  Fishing?  Hiking? Good conversation with an old friend?  Have you had a good hearty laugh lately? 

My car was towed to a garage.  I went to the garage a couple days after the crash to pick up some things I had in my car before my car went to the junk yard.  The man at the garage was very nice and had boxed up some miscellaneous papers.  This gentlemen was an older no frills guy and had a younger employee with him.  He and most of the responders that day knew I was a Christian.  They made comments I should count my lucky stars or the man up stairs and I made a point to say I was blessed instead of using the word lucky.

He had purposely put one of my books on top of the stack and was pointing to the picture on the front of the book.  He said, "Someone was looking over you that day." The picture he was pointing to was a picture of Jesus.  It was a pretty neat moment in the office of that garage with a calendar of girls hanging on the wall beside our conversation.

You don't have to crash and hit a semi to slow down.  You could just apply the words of David in Psalm 23, and accept God's invitation to slow down.

Robb

my cousin cindy

On this Memorial Day, our thoughts and prayers go out to my cousin Cindy who lost her father in the Vietnam War.

Her father Doug Avery's Marine Corps jet vanished off radar while on a classified mission over North Vietnam, on May 3rd, 1968. He was MIA for nearly 30 years. The crash site was found on the coast of Vietnam with personal effects and an unexploded 500-bomb.

Cindy was less than 2 years old when she last saw her father. In 1986, Cindy's mom Grace died of cancer while Cindy was in college.

Cindy gave her life to Jesus Christ. Cindy could have chosen to be bitter and angry at the hand she was dealt. Cindy chose the exact opposite and has a zest for life, big smile, and a hardy laugh that can fill a room. On a side note, she can make some truffles that are so good they have been known to cause family conflict on the annual beach trips. She and my wife Kelly have attended Beth Moore conferences together.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of service men and women who have lost their lives serving our country.

Robb

Hope, Rick Warren and my brother

Note: This blog was written yesterday morning with the intention of sending last night.   Last evening, Kelly and I were very sad to hear the news of Rick and Kay Warren's son.

My family and I have really enjoyed Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life.  During the time my brother was fighting cancer, I thought he would appreciate some encouraging words from pastor Rick Warren.  I also thought Rick may appreciate knowing how much his book had meant to Scott during his illness.  I sent Rick a letter about my brother's situation and a copy of the video below.  It was not long and my brother received a personal letter of encouragement from Rick. 

As I checked my e-mail box this morning, the first e-mail I noticed was the "Daily Hope with Rick Warren" devotional.  The Warrens have helped share the message of "Hope" to many over the years. Our prayers are with them through their loss.


"Hope.   Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."

That is a quote I like a lot from the movie The Hunger Games.  During this scene in the movie President Snow is discussing the continuous oppression of the districts of Panem.   The next line in the movie is, "A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous."

Romans 5:5 states "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Rick Warren's book God's Power to Change Your Life reads, "It has been said that a person can live forty days without food, three days without water, eight minutes without air, but not one minute without hope.  We have to have hope.   Some researchers at Cornell University studied 25,000 prisoners of war from World War II.   They concluded that a person can handle almost anything if he or she has hope."

Isaiah 40:29-31
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.   Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

My brother Scott tends to have a unique Bible carrying style.  In short, he carries it in the back of his pants.   I know that makes quite the visual.   The Bible will be half sticking out from behind his belt and pants and half in no man's land.   I could try and explain how he likes to keep his hands free for greeting, etc. but we will end it there.  Needless to say few people ask to borrow his Bible.

Early one morning in 2002, one of Scott's good friends and I met Scott at the hospital.   Scott was there to have surgery for stage 4 melanoma that had come back.   As his friend Paul and I were following him back to the pre-op area, Paul notices this book sticking out of the back of Scott's pants. Paul asks "is that a joke book you have back there?" referring to Scott's Bible.  Scott replied, "I hope not."

As Scott was in the middle of a life storm facing fear and death the simple reply "I hope not" said a lot.  No matter how this was to turn out his trust and hope was in God through his faith in Jesus Christ.

Scott's employer showed a video at a national meeting about him which I will share below.   For those of you that do not know Scott, I am pleased to report Scott is doing well and is cancer free!

Here is the URL if you are having trouble opening the video: http://youtu.be/9j9lyZCAgDY


Satan knows as the line from The Hunger Games states, "a lot of hope is dangerous" to his cause.  As believers, we have the ultimate hope.


Robb

the changing room

Kelly and I have had the pleasure of serving in the baptistery at our local church. We have been able to hear many firsthand stories of how people came to know Christ.

They bring a change of clothes and get ready in rooms with a sign reading "Changing Room" beside each doorway. The signs are meant to designate where to change clothes.

As we talk and pray with each person getting baptized, we often refer to the "Changing Room” sign. They are now changed. 2 Corinthians 5:17 states, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

In Rick Warren's book, "God's Power to Change Your Life" he states "The initial turning point is when we commit our lives to Christ.  We are not the same anymore; a new life has begun." He also states "The change does not come all at once. It may take time.”

I had a boss working with me one day about 18 years ago. I was driving his car and he was in the passenger seat. He wanted to get his car washed before he left town. It was the type of car wash you drive in, put your car in neutral, and it automatically takes you through the car wash. Apparently I was not used to this kind of car wash. I left the car in drive and we were through the wash in no time. As we exited my boss looked around like, is that it? That was fast. Is my car really clean?  When he realized what I had done he laughed so hard I thought we were going to have to clean the inside of the car too.

About 8 years ago I made another car wash memory. As a family we were getting our mini-van washed. Kelly and I were sitting up front with our three children in the back.  As we were going through the car wash things got crazy.  Connor was three years old and sleeping in the back when he was awakened by water hitting his face. We were going through the car wash with one of our back windows open.  In a panic a wrong button was hit and another window started coming down instead of the one going up. As we left the car wash in disbelief we were soon able to find the humor in the situation and had a good laugh together (after Connor stopped crying).

Sometimes we may speed through the whole process and check the "I got baptized" box.  We speed through the process like I did at the first car wash. We may accept Christ, get baptized, and say that's it.  We never really get past the starting line and letting God take charge of our life.

Or like the second car wash, we may leave a couple of windows down in certain areas of our life. We welcome God to clean us on the inside in those areas. However, other areas we choose to stay in control, leave the windows up, and declare it good enough.

Change is a process and a life long journey. Sometimes there is a gap between when we accept Christ and when we really begin to lean into our faith.

Can you imagine if those of us that call ourselves followers of Christ rolled all the windows down and boldly let God take control of all the areas of our life?

Just like in our mini-van, it would get a little crazy......

Robb

my grandfather

My Grandfather passed away March 5th and his funeral was last weekend.

This is a recent picture of him with our kids just a few weeks before he passed away.  My son Connor and I both have his name Thomas in our name.

He had a house you always looked forward to visiting as a child and as an adult.  Everyone was always greeted with a smile and some funny wit.  After my grandmother passed away he married Vennah who continued to always make everyone feel welcome. 

As a child I enjoyed climbing his porch wall which seemed very high at the time.  As a father, it was always fun to tell my kids we were going to his house.  It was met with cheers like we were going to Disney (I can only assume this because I have never taken my kids to Disney).  My kids enjoyed playing in the same creek I did as a child, which ran behind his house.  It was a great place for family gatherings with cousins, aunts, and uncles. 

At his funeral last weekend it really was a celebration of a great life.  He was two months shy of being 99 years old!  He had a blessed life and was a blessing to all of us as well.

His son-in-law, Rick, played several hymns on the piano.  My nephew Seth played the guitar and sang "In Christ Alone" with his sister Erin.  My daughter Lauren had been given his old violin a few years back  and it had been a tradition the last couple of years for her to play "Happy Birthday" for him as we celebrated with him. 

On this day, she played "Amazing Grace."

Robb