Friday, November 22, 2013

Rehearsals for Sunday, November 24

It's here! The final countdown before our non-tree Christmas. (If you don't know that "the Tree" got a case of Dutch Elm disease and had to be retired then you haven't been paying attention.)

Here is THIS Sunday's rehearsal schedule.


Here it is in an easier format. :-)


2:00 – wisemen and shepherds and attendants

2:30 – Middle and High School youth for “Jingle All the Way”

3:00 – children (grades 1-5)  join youth for angel song and then for the car song

3:30 – adult choir in sanctuary to practice with words

4:30 – drama actors in the choir room to go through all lines. Should be very close to memory

Friday, November 8, 2013

I'm a Rich Man

I’m a rich man.


I’m rich because I know how to invest.

You not as young folks will remember Richie Rich


I’m an investor, an optimist, a dreamer… I have hope for the future. I plan for the future. I work for the future.

In the Fall I plant bulbs knowing in the Spring I’ll have daffodils and tulips for everyone driving by to enjoy.
Daffodil
 

Instead of spending $50 for a dozen red roses from the florist I buy bare-root rose bushes and plant them in February knowing I’ll have vases full of roses from May until November.
 
 

I teach violin lessons to develop current church musicians and with the dream of future players for the Nashville symphony.

The biggest investment I am making right now is between today and March. I’m taking young men on mission to Portugal. I’m taking football players and coaches my football team to work alongside of our IMB partners to reach out to Portuguese men who play American football in a country-wide community league.  As we go on mission there are immediate short-term results that have long-term benefits.

1.      The Kingdom will be advanced in Portugal.

2.      Our IMB personnel will be encouraged in their work.

3.      Local churches in Portugal will be inspired and encouraged as they try to reach their communities for Christ.

4.      As we prepare for and then go on mission my “football team” – players and coaches –will spend time praying, planning and working together and will get first-hand experience in sharing their faith.

 

Our mission trip to Portugal, however, is much more than just a one week trip. Not only are there some immediate benefits, but there are some important long-term benefits from a mission trip like this. I am (we are) investing in the lives of men: Men who will become deacons and pastors and LIFE Groups leaders and better fathers and faithful church members who tithe and give and serve and witness.

What? You get all of that from going on a mission trip?

Yes.

How?

Because men need other men to care about them and model for them and teach them to be godly men of faith and action. As we plan and pray together, as we prepare to go on mission and then as we work side by side, share our faith together, pray together and all of the other things that happen while on mission, God uses these experiences to shape and build men into faithful followers of Christ. We become invested in each other’s lives. We are iron sharpening iron.

You can be rich too!!

 
You may not be able to go with us on this mission trip but you can invest in it. You can pray for us – not only that we prepare well, but that we become the men we need to be to be effective witnesses. You can invest financially. Some of the guys going are young men with young families working in their first jobs or even looking for their first job after graduating from college. Some have young families and students loans. They are willing to pay their own way, but your investment will ease their minds as they learn to trust God for provision. (and for that matter, God may have YOU in mind as part of that provision)

When the children of Israel went into battle some of the men had to stay behind to protect and care for the women and children. Even though they couldn’t go into battle, they shared equally in the spoils.  You can "share" in the "spoils" of our mission trip as you invest in these men.

My prayer is that you will choose to invest in Kingdom work and in the lives of young men. Contact me or call the church office and talk to Donna if you want to invest financially. At the next Man Church I’ll have the names of men going with me so you can join together in praying for us.
 
Invest! Become rich in God's work!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

In Good Company

I'm so excited! I've been struggling a little bit with this whole football thing. my football calling
However, last night I was talking to some guys at "Man Church" - which is where my football journey began - and one of them gave me an awesome idea about my football costume - or rather, uniform. They reminded me of Tom Landry.

Now THAT is a classy look. I can totally go with that. (I actually had a fedora when I lived in Denver. I didn't want to wear a knit toboggan when it was snowing, so a fedora was the perfect answer as far as I was concerned.)

This morning the guys here in the office told me Bear Bryant wore a fedora too.
Not sure hound's-tooth is the way I want to go, but I'm totally going for the classy coach look. My guess is that if I show up at the airport in a classy hat surrounded by football players everyone will assume I'm some really good, really famous football coach or maybe even the team owner.

Of course it wasn't the hats that made these men famous. They were great at coaching. Their teams won lots of games and probably Super Bowls and Orange Bowls and other assorted bowls.

Wikipedia says this about Tom Landry.

"Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods."

More than that - more importantly than that - Tom Landry was a Christian man who was vocal about his faith. Tom-Landry-Under-The-Fedora-A-Committed-Christian

I don't mind modeling my football "look" after these football legends (Landry and Bryant). When people see me in a fedora surrounded by football players I won't mind if they think that I'm in the same league as these two. But more importantly I want people to know - after spending time with me - that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. People knew that about Tom Landry because he wasn't afraid to speak up and say so. Whether I'm in Portugal on football mission or at Wal-Mart in Clarksville I want to take advantage of the opportunities - the divine encounters - that God sends my way.

What about you? You may not be a fedora kind of guy, but are you ready to share your faith when given a chance? Do you have an answer for the hope that is in you? Are you willing to begin conversations about faith - to be the one that initiates such conversations?

I remember a guy once who said "I just witness by being nice and smiling at people." Hmmm. Well, they might just think you're a stalker or a pervert. A smile is interpreted in as many ways as those who see it. Add words! Speak up! Maybe wear a fedora - and when someone says, "Why are you wearing that hat?" You can say, well, I knew about a man once who was a great coach and a great man of faith and he wore one. I'm just trying to be like him. And there you go..... you've begun a conversation about faith and you didn't even have to work hard to do it.