Sunday Reflections

- Wow, what a great service!  We talked about guilt.  Specifically, how guilt is not a creation of God, but our own inability to allow Christ to destroy the sin in our lives.  Christ dealt with sin, we do not have to.  We talked about Judas and Peter, how they were in the same boat after the cross.  Judas killed himself over the guilt and Peter was restored into service.  

- I hope some of our people were able to give their guilt to Christ to live lives of service.

- The music was good, this week.  No major glitches, which is good.  Missed our drummer.  I still think a lot of people seemed to have powerful times of worship.

- I read a passage from "The Shack."  I read the book last week, and was surprised by how much I liked it.  Was it perfect?  No.  But, it did a good job of helping us break past the things that hang us up in the church: individualism, politics, economics, lovelessness, God as something that s/he is not.  I recommend it.  

- I am planning to ready "Crazy Love"  (Francis Chan) this week.  I also want to finally finish my Brad Meltzer book as well as Galloway's book on Innovative Transitions.

- This week is Halloween on Friday night.  This was one of my favorite events in my first year in Norwood, so I am excited about it again.  Last year we cooked hot dogs as well as handed out candy.  The adults loved this as they often hustled out of work to get their kids ready, forsaking a meal.  It gave us a nice chance to talk with neighborhood people in a very "non-threatening" way.  I hope for more of the same this year.

- We are having "Harvest Fest" this week at church.  A Bluegrass band is coming.  We may or may not be outside (weather permitting).  We plan to invite everyone at Halloween.  Should be good.  The plan is talk about Practical Atheism - believing their is a God, but not living like it.

- Angel Food was great this week.  A total of 13 volunteers helped out.  We gave out $1,800 worth of ordered food.  Should be even bigger next month.  I am amazed, though, that with a ministry of this level that we have a new wrinkle to iron out every month.  Nothing major, just something new every time we expand.

- I think Angel Food is really starting to impact Norwood.

Sunday Reflection

- Ronee Poe was great.  How nice of her to travel all the way here from Columbus on a Sunday morning (leaving at 7 AM, no less).  Her using "International Business" as an asset to a Nazarene Mission Field would have been unheard of 10 years ago...let alone to Bresee and his homey's.  How cool it is that God is broadening our vision to see how we can be an asset to his people in all parts of the world.

- I am thankful for young people, embodying the sanctified life, planning to devote their life to service.

- I need to remember which address goes to the church and which to my house.  Sorry Poe family.  Good thing we are close to the church...

- Another Sunday attendance over 50!  (52 to be exact, after we finished counting).  I am finding myself crushed by attendance under fifty.  A year ago I said the same about forty.  That is a good sign.  Plus, there are visitors every week.  

- We have work to do with the worship set.  We were off key on a few songs.  The words didn't pop up soon enough at the start.  We really have to refine some things to get achieve the excellence that we crave.  With visitors in our pews on a weekly basis, we need to do better.

- Marcy was hysterical portraying an old lady.  As good as that was, she did an even better job explaining the benefits of Faith Promise.  We are lucky to have such a sharp NMI President.

- Mark it down.  November 2 will be "Harvest Sunday" at Norwood Nazarene.  Kevin Sears' dad will be bringing out his bluegrass band and we will worshipping in the parking lot.  That day I'll be speaking on "Practical Atheism."  Please, please join us.  Invite friends.  This will be a fun, fun day!

- Angel Food is booming.  Over $5000 in donations were given this week toward sustaining the program!  Wow!  God blesses those that seek to serve him.  Angel Food, at least in our congregation, is our tangible response to the Sheep and the Goats (one of my favorite passages).  When we work to feed Norwood, it is as if we are feeding Jesus himself.  And God is clearly blessing our efforts to bring affordable food to the families of this community.

- The Red Sox were poor last night.  I am mostly over it, but that doesn't mean that I want or need to talk about it.

- I am off to 1894 today.  Amish country here we come.  Should be a good minister and spouse's retreat this year, still.  Especially since we are starting to get to know some of the people we are retreating with.  Plus, Canton is 30 minutes away, so we are going to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Cooperstown would be way better, but you take what you get, you know?!?!

- It was nice to have Charryse's parents here this weekend.  Also looking forward to my mom coming this weekend.  Mackenzie is in gradparent heaven.

- We are talking about guilt this Sunday in church.  Bet you have some.  See if you can't let some of it go by the power of God's freedom in Christ.

Tim

Not Caring is for Rangers Fans

Ok, so I admit, I went to bed.  So did Charryse.  And, this was after I watched a DVR'ed episode of Survivor.  I was mad.  34 runs in four games.  Matsuzaka drinking the same Kool-Aid that Wakefield, Lester, and Beckett drank.  An offense that seemed to be using rope to swing at Tampa pitching.  I was mad.  

At 11 o'clock or so I checked the score, hoping for a reason to stay up.  No such luck.  Seven-nothing.  I had visions of Joe Maddon, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, and Scott Kazmir awkwardly and homo-erotically hugging and jumping on each other on Fenway's allegedly spongy grass.  And against all odds, with Tampa Bay written across their chest.  The Rays?  Really?  Isn't this supposed to be the Yankees crushing my spirit?

I remember "watching" Survivor with Charryse.  Well, she was watching Survivor, I was checking the game updates on ESPN attempting to react in an acceptable Christian manner (jury still out...).  While Survivor was on, I was trying to talk myself off the ledge.  Then I asked myself, "c'mon, Tim, is it really that bad?  You just won the World Series last year.  And one three years before that.  One year before that Aaron Boone broke your heart into more pieces than any girl ever had and you convinced yourself that your beloeved Red Sox would never win a World Series...that it was nearly mathematically impossible with thirty teams."  

It was on no condolence.  I was mad.  I was hurt.  It was pathetic.  I went to sleep because I care too much.  Way too much.  Embarrasingly and, perhaps, sinfully so.  I applaud all of my Red Sox fan friends that made it through that...you have bigger onions than I to stand watching what seemed inevitable.

Anyway, I remember within days of the World Series people saying that Red Sox fans would quit caring.  That they got what they wanted, 86 years in the making and all, that the passion would dwindle.  I supposed that could be true.  It wasn't.

I awoke from my faithless slumber to see that the Red Sox had won.  That I was right about J.D. Drew, again (can we as Red Sox nation agree that he is an asset to the team yet?  Two straight years of dramatic post-season altering hits?  Plus the All-Star Game M.V.P., as if that matters).  That even David Ortiz can hit a bad fastball.  That there is still hope (well, actually I was hopeless all day yesterday...now I see the hope!).  

And what is more?  Almost all of my Red Sox fan friends have Red Sox related statuses on Facebook.  Boston Dirt Dogs used its whole home page in response to last night.  Bill Simmons actually wrote an article.  The Globe is in jubilation.  

I think Red Sox Nation announced last night that they still care.  Losing is no longer fun or cute.  We care.  Every year is an opportunity to win it all.

I mean, its not like we are Texas Rangers fans, or anything.

My Article in the Local Paper

Don’t go to church.  It’s a statement that seems to fly in the face of self-preservation.  Quite, the opposite, we are trying very hard to attract people to come to our church.  However, we, at Norwood Church of the Nazarene, have decided that your attendance is not our only objective.  Therefore, we told our churchgoers to not go to church, but to be the church.  The plan is that we can be servants to the people that call Norwood home.  So, in the tradition of the Back To School Bash, we have decided to develop numerous opportunities to encounter the community in which we live. 

                Therefore, October 12, 2008 was officially dubbed “Don’t Go to Church…Be the Church!”  We planned three activities for our people to participate in: the Breast Cancer walk in Cincinnati, write letters of care to our Back To School Bash kids, or to help clean up city parks.  Each of these events were successful.  Check out Victory or Waterworks Park.  Look in your mailbox.  See the money raised for a breast cancer cure.  Did our work touch your life? 

The goal was to see people in Norwood’s life a little better because of the work done on this day.  Perhaps your kids play in a cleaner Waterworks park.  Maybe your neighbor is suffering from Breast Cancer, and a cure is coming.  Maybe your niece or nephew was at the Back to School Bash and will receive an encouraging note in the mail.  Remember how you felt when you got mail before you knew what bills were?  It is that joy that we are hoping to provide to those that we serve.

                Norwood Church of the Nazarene has decided that it does not exist for the sake of existing, it does not exist for itself, and it does not exist simply to be open on Sundays.  No, this church exists for the people of Norwood.  So, telling our people not to simply go to church was a risk that we were willing to take.  Because, to us, is not about being bored, or singing, or listening to sermons.  Church is about bringing something fresh to the world.  It is about fellowship and community.  And it is about demonstrating hope and love to those of us that could use a dose of either or both.  Church is about being something, rather than simply attending.

                We hope that through the many services that we are working to provide for Norwood that we can be something to you.  Something more than a building taking up precious space, something in fact that makes your life better.  Please feel free to drop by for a visit.  We will be giving out candy, hot dogs, and hot chocolate on Halloween.  We also have a wonderful new program called Angel Food that help you save on your grocery bill.  Check out the Church’s web site for more upcoming events.

Sunday Reflection

This is my new weekly concept, stolen, of course.  I am going to review, in my own mind, what happened over the weekend.  I saw Dale Schaffer doing this, and think it is great.  I think Dale is becoming my own personal victim, I am "borrowing" so much from him lately.

- "Don't Go to Church, Be the Church" was a success.  We had positive reviews from all three groups.  I am stoked that we spent some time loving our community.  This is what church is about, I think.

- As far as the cleaning group, I was surprised at how few people were out.  I think if we do this again, we should bring signs to plant in the ground.  Something like "This park cleaned by Norwood Church of the Nazarene."

- I wrote an article for the Norwood Times about our day.  How cool that we were allowed to do that!  

- citizensforabetternorwood.blogspot.com also allowed me to guest post last week about our weekend.  Check it out!

- LSU lost by 30, Wisconsin by 41, Red Sox lost Game 2, Patriots by 20.  Rough weekend for me.  

- I discovered the new Google phone coming out soon on T-Mobile (which Charryse and I have).  I am hoping that having that smartphone (which I hope to get before the end of the year) will help me remember all that is going on in pastoring.  I haven't missed an appointment yet, but I have been surprised how loaded up my pastoral calendar has been getting.  I hope this phone with its calendar and organizational tools will help simplify/organize my life.  Carrying around a big, old calendar is not working for me.  And I am terrified that a man purse is getting close to necessary w/o the phone!

- Mackenzie is crawling, pulling herself up, standing.  Walking is not far off.  I didn't know that a 15 lb. peanut could do this stuff!  (Oh and there is a tooth!)

- I am enjoying our Wednesday night services.  We are studying Acts.  Great, great book!

- This Sunday is Missions Sunday at our church.  Finances are tight, so we are going to have to count on donations beyond tithe in a tough economy to meet our budgets in that area.  Pray for that, if you would.

- I am stoked about our next Sermon Series.  We will be doing "The Elephants in the Church."  It'll be tough on me to talk about the stuff we don't talk about.  But, they are truths that need to be spoken.  Should be great!

- Thanks for listening to me.

Dream Big

Do you believe the stuff that comes out of your mouth?  I mean do you really?  We really throw out some zingers.  Some absurdities.  And frankly, I hate liars.  They drive me crazy.  Almost as crazy as Yankee or Cub fans.

What I really can't stand is when people in the church talk about growing, reaching out, evangelizing, wanting to be like a Paul or Peter Christian and then do nothing about it.  Doesn't that drive you a little ber-zerk as well?  

Peter and Paul, for example, were no liars.  When Peter said that "this promise [of salvation through the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus] is for you and your children and all who are far off," he believed it.  Not only that, he got to work demonstrating that this was the case.

When Paul declared that "ALL are sinners, yet [ALL are] justified through His grace," he set out to demonstrate this to people who needed to recognize God's work in the world and in their lives.

I guess what I am saying is that aside from believing in the salvation available to them in and through Jesus Christ, they both dreamed big.  Peter got the ball rolling by responding to God's call to go to Cornelius and then defend God's work in the Roman to the Jews.  Paul continued by declaring, in so many words, to the Romans that he would not stop until he had preached to everyone in the Northern half of the known world.  Their vision was HUGE, and it was so because their vision mirrored that of God's vision.

My church is making an effort to expand our vision this week.  Instead of huddling in service this week, we are breaking out of our walls in service of our community.  We are having "Don't Go To Church, Be the Church!" Sunday.  We are going to write letters to kids that came to our Back To School Bash telling them that we love and care for them, we are participating and raising funds for a Breast Cancer Walk, and we are parading around our town of Norwood cleaning up the parks.  We want to show, in tangible ways, that we love the people of Norwood because God loves the people of Norwood.

I am determined to not be a part of a church that lies.  We say we are Christian.  That is a huge statement.  We are like Christ.  We go where Christ goes, do what Christ does.  We act like Him.  We talk like Him.  We serve like Him.  These are the inherent truths that must be lived out when we cal ourselves Christian.  There is no getting around it.  This Sunday, we will be truth tellers.  We will be Christian. 

Can we continue to tell the truth to the world?