Looking Forward

You might not recognize the athlete in this picture because in all probability when he was in his prime, you were a mere toddler, if you "were" at all. Anyway, he was quite the athlete, so much so that his high school peers elected him "Athlete of the Year" and just for the record, the year was 1960. Don't let this basketball uniform fool you because his talents included baseball and track! I never did understand why he was never offered an athletic scholarship to some prestigious university but such is life, I suppose--you win some and you lose some, regardless of your talent.

He did go on to a private college that had intra-mural sports, and in an attempt not only to make his high school proud, but also to continue his athletic career, he attempted to make the freshman basketball team. Note that I said "attempted" because this is where his athletic career ended (for some reason they could not see his talent) and the trophy that rested in the Reynolds High School trophy case quietly disappeared. I have often wondered what happened to it but I suppose it is best to let bygones be bygone.

Isn't it "funny" how things that once consumed your life have a way of disappearing into the shadows? Back in those days, I lived and breathed basketball and baseball (track was just a necessity, I suppose) but in less than three months, (from June to September) that passion gave way to to more "noble" causes. To be the "Athlete of the Year" in a high school of 100 or so students was OK in its day, but in the big scheme of things, it really didn't amount to much. In fact, I had to check the 1960 yearbook just to be sure that I was "Athlete of the Year."

Anyway, I think Paul was thinking something like this, when he penned these words: "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14). You see, in the days when he was a Pharisee, a leader of Israel, his peers gave him the title, "Mr. Israel" or better, yet, "Jew of Jews!" But you know, in less time than it takes for lightening to flash that passion gave way to another passion--a much more noble passion--the preaching of the incredible gospel! Yes, in its day, the title "Jew of Jews" was OK, but in the big scheme of things, it really didn't amount to much; in fact, in his mind it was mere dung.

My Point: Jesus has provided an incredible life for you to live--a more abundant life--but you will never live it until you let the past go and press on toward the true goal, the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Have a wonderful day!
Your Pastor

Today's Service!

Yes, it was a "rainy day in Georgia" but that didn't stop you from attending GCF and for that I am very thankful! Mere words could never effectively communicate to you what it means to me when you, that's right, when YOU walk through the doors of the sheep shelter known as Grace Christian Fellowship To be sure, the service today was a tremendous encouragement to me!

It is my sincere prayer that the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to you through my message. Communicating is very difficult, especially when it has to be done via the English language, even so, I am trusting that you left the service not only encouraged by His Presence, but also encouraged to live the more abundant life that Jesus has provided for you.

A note of warning: the "thief" came ONLY to steal, kill, and destroy and he is very committed to accomplishing his purpose! Then a note of encouragement: Jesus came that you might have life and have it abundantly, and He is committed to accomplishing His purpose! Thankfully, He is on our side!

In case you cannot tell from the picture, I went ahead and suited up in my new clergy vestments for 2007!

Tomorrow's Message: On Living the More Abundant Life

"The thief comes ONLY to steal, and kill, and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10; emphasis, added). Just for the record, these are Jesus' words and in my humble opinion, it is time for us to take them to heart.

Please notice the proverbial "two-sided coin" that is depicted in this verse: on one side, the thief comes; however, on the other side, Jesus comes, and their reasons for coming are diametrically opposed to one another. The thief comes ONLY to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus comes that we might have life and have it super-abundantly!

Make no mistake, the "thief" has been doing a very good job at accomplishing his purpose, as is evidenced by the fact that most Christians live as if they are either terminally ill and waiting for their last breath to come, OR as if they are already dead and waiting on the hearse to come. In either case, they are NOT enjoying the super-abundant life that Jesus came to provide for them.
MY POINT: I am tired of the "thief" stealing, killing, and destroying the super-abundant life that Jesus promised. In my opinion, it is time for us to stand up, and having done all to stand! After all, we have a life to live--an incredibly important life--and we need to begin living it!

See you in the morning!
Your Pastor

Joanie Adams

Early this morning, I went to the hospital to visit Joanie and found her sitting in a chair especially designed for those who are recovering from knee replacement surgery, and she was, obviously, not enjoying the experience (her pain level was quite elevated in spite of the pain meds). During my brief visit, she told me that she thought she would get to go home tomorrow (Saturday), and I reacted a bit because I thought that "tomorrow" was a bit premature.

Anyway, sometimes mid-afternoon, she called to tell me that she was on the way home; however, her voice let me know that she was not-at-all excited about it; in fact, she was quite upset. Going home in her condition was not-at-all what she desired, but the insurance company overruled her opinion, and made it clear that the stay was over, as of this afternoon.

Now, this is really what happened: some half-wit somebody, sitting behind a desk in Atlanta or Cincinnati or Boise, who doesn't know his/her "you know what" from his/her "you know when" sent down a notice to the hospital (based on the "guidelines" that another dim-wit, or group of dim-wits, who know nothing about Joanie OR her physical or medical condition, put together in the interest of the "bottom line" being large enough to give the "Big Wig Dim Wits" a $25 million bonus at the end of the year) that they would no longer pay Joanie's bill. The end result: out you go!! Oh yes! The other message is just as clear: send in your premiums on time or "out you go again," and by-the-way, we will increase the premiums at our discretion.

Be it Republican, Democrat, or Dingbat--somebody needs to do something about insurance companies and their blatant thievery! Stop blaming the Docs because it is not their fault. Before you place one bit of blame upon them, saddle up and see, first, if you can get into medical school and, if you should succeed, stay the course, until you get that coveted degree, Doctor of Medicine; then stay the course until you finish your internship; then stay the course until you finish your residence; then stay the course until you repay all the loans you accumulated in the process; then stay the course and attempt to practice medicine while some nit wit, who doesn't know his/her "you know what" from his/her "you know when" decides for you what is the best medicine for your patient!

Joanie, all I know to say is that I am very sorry that you have been treated so very poorly by the very company to whom have faithfully paid your premiums--on time! I might be wrong but I will bet that the CEO would hate for you to know how much money he took home last year, money that could have been used to continue your hospital stay until your DOCTOR determined that it was time to go home.

Anyway, I am encouraging this part of the Body of Christ to pray for you and, I am believing that every need you have will be met, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!

Grace and peace,
Your Pastor

Wednesday Night Bible Study

Well, I think I can say this: the discussion was lively and beneficial! Now, that is my opinion, so you might want to check with the others who were present; I will even provide you with their names--Rose Olsen, Bobby Olsen, Eddie & Carolyn Dailey, JC Lewis, Syd Kiser and her sister, Marie Smith, Bonnie Coleman, Karen Purnhagen, John Akacki, and Rhonda Ennis. Don't be bashful, as I feel sure they will be happy to provide you with any details you might desire.

Hopefully, as we follow the present plan of using my weekly sermons as fodder for the Wednesday night discussions, they will continue to be lively and stimulating, so much so, that others will want to participate. I guess this does mean that I will have to manage to provide sermons that tend to breed both discussion and debate, which will be a challenge for me, as most of you know.

I visited with Joanie today and SHE IS HURTING! I am sure the present pain is normal at this point, but I am also sure that she wants it to be short-lived. Please keep her in your prayers and stop by to see her, as she will be hospitalized until Saturday or Sunday.

Anyhow, I hope that His life has manifested itself through you in a beautiful way today; after all, He has given you (and me) the incredible gift of "the more abundant life."

Life Just Keeps on Happening

This morning Joanie Adams had one knee joint completely replaced and the other repaired (via arthroscopic surgery). It is traumatic enough to have the arthroscopic surgery done on one knee but, mercy sakes, to have the other knee joint completely replaced at the same time is pushing the envelope a bit too far (at least in my opinion). Yes, I know Joanie, and I also know that she is a trooper, but how will she ever muster the courage to stand that first time? At best, her recovery will be difficult, not to mention painful, so please keep her in your prayers because prayer does matter!

It is my understanding that she will be in the hospital for four or five days, when means that she will probably go home Saturday or Sunday. If you would like to prepare a meal for them (Joanie, Larry, and Joanie's Mom), please contact Karen Purnhagen, as she is coordinating the "food brigade."

While I was waiting on Joanie to return to her room, I visited several other people, not the least of which was Rosemary Whatley, who fell this morning and fractured her hip. She is 84! Roughly a week ago, her husband, Dr. Ed Whatley, suffered a stroke and found himself in the hospital. He is 84, also. Today, they both are in the Coliseum Med Center (Macon), where he is undergoing various therapies and she is scheduled for surgery around noon tomorrow. As you might imagine, their children, none of whom live in this area, have their hands full. I tell you this because (1) they lived next door to me during most of my growing-up days, and (2) I believe prayer matters.

While I was visiting the Whatley family in the hospital today, Linda, one of the daughters, told me that her daughter's boy friend was killed in a motorcycle accident last night. As she said, "When it rains it pours!"

To continue the saga, last night my daughter, Amy, received a call from Sandra, her mother-in-law (well, not technically, anymore) telling her that she was having severe chest pains. Amy insisted that she either call 911 or have her son immediately drive her to the ER. She chose the latter, and Amy met her there. The long and short of this story is that her main coronary artery (LAD) was 98% occluded and she was on the verge of a fatal heart attack. Had she waited (according to the cardiologist), she would not be here today. Thankfully, some people do not live in the land of superstition, and, instead, take action when crisis comes!

At the same time all of this was going on, Sandra's husband, who has been in the hospital for two weeks (if not longer) developed pneumonia, which is very detrimental to his pulmonary problem, to put it mildly. He is very dependent upon oxygen therapy and will, therefore, have a very difficult time ever returning home.

At some point today, I called my brother, Bruce, who told me that the son of a friend of ours was involved last night in a auto accident somewhere along the I-75/I-16 interchange. I really do not know much about his condition but I do think he will be fine.

To complete my story: I had previously told David McLeighton (the owner of the funeral homes in Reynolds, Butler, and Roberta) that I would help him with a funeral yesterday morning, thinking that I would be back in Macon around 12:30, and Annis and I would be able to spend a lazy afternoon at home. Well, my "thinking" was off a bit! Just about the time the funeral service was to begin, David received a phone call telling him that his mother, who lives in Baxley, had just suffered a stroke and they needed him there. Well that would not have been a problem, were it not for the fact that, before he could finish telling me this, his phone rang again and he learned that someone had just died in the Med Center in Columbus. As you might imagine, he asked me if I would please embalm this body for him, and of course, I agreed to do so, which would not have been so bad (in and of itself) were it not for the fact that about the time I started that procedure, the local nursing home called and informed us that someone had just died there. So, after one funeral, and two completed embalming procedures, I arrived back in Macon around 7:00 PM.

As you can see, the past 48 hours have been filled with my dealing with the pain and suffering and loss, and trauma of others, which is emotionally and physically draining to say the least; albeit, a major portion of my calling. All I know to say is this: I am very thankful that I have been and continue to be privileged to journey with people during some of their most difficult times.

To be sure, this world is filled with hurting people and we must never forget them. We have been called to "bear one another's burdens" and I am praying that we will graciously accept the call! It is one incredible privilege!

Blessings and much love,
Your Pastor

New Year's Bash!

Someone much wiser than I said a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will let the pictures speak. You might want to keep your eyes wide open because one never can tell when others just might appear right out of the blue! We really did miss those of you who could not come but we all thought it best that we go ahead and have a good time, so we did!

Happy New Year to all!
Your Pastor