School Lunch

Last Thursday, I enjoyed eating lunch with my son at his school. I had wanted to do this for some time but had worked to find a day when my schedule would allow me to eat a school lunch on Pizza Day.

Interesting thing. School pizza, rectangle and all, is just as you remember it. But pizza was just the main course of the meal. I enjoyed my rectangle cheese pizza with a side order of mashed potatoes, cheesy broccoli and cantaloupe. I topped it off with a chocolate milk. For the record, I usually would not eat mashed potatoes and broccoli with pizza. As it turns out, once you worked through the thin layer of film on the scoop of potatoes, they were actually quite tasty. Same goes for the broccoli.

Two other items of note:
1. School lunch for an adult now costs $3.75.
2. My son eats lunch each day at 10:35! But, hey, to eat lunch at school with my son and to get to eat rectangle-shaped school pizza, you do what you have to do.

With Honor

Last week, I attended the graveside service for the father of a member of our church. As a result of the man having honorably served as a member of the United States Armed Forces, he was given a funeral with full military honors. To honor the man, a local group of military veterans, the Volunteer State Veterans Honor Guard (www.milhonors.com), was in attendance at the graveside and provided a 21 gun salute along with the playing of taps while also offering a brief eulogy.

Several of the men in the Honor Guard who were in attendance that day were WWII and Korean War veterans. Older men. Some seemingly quite frail. But they were there to respectfully honor another veteran. A man, who like they, had bravely served our country.

The Honor Guard has provided this service to military veterans and their families on over 3800 occasions. With honor. Always with honor.

Five Years in Full-time Ministry

Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts as I completed my 5th year of serving in a full-time ministry position at Sevier Heights. And what an amazing journey the last five years have been! Originally brought on staff to coordinate recreation ministries, I've seen my job duties change significantly since September 2004.

But one thing that has not changed is that I am fortunate to work on a staff with individuals who truly love Christ. I'm blessed to work with people of integrity who desire to follow Him and serve Him with their lives. People who are the same in the office on Tuesdays or Thursdays that they are on Sundays when lots of people are around.

God is blessing our church and I am very fortunate to be a part of what He is doing.

Fun on Friday- Parking Lot Issues That Bother Me

1. When people without handicapped plates or tags park in handicapped parking spaces

2. When people carelessly park their car and take up two parking spaces

3. When people purposely park their car and take up three parking spaces because their vehicle either cost some ridiculous amount of money or because it's been tricked out

4. When people leave their shopping cart randomly in the parking lot; maybe worse yet is when people push their cart to the corral and then leave the cart on the outside of the corral

5. When "special" people park in the fire lane because they are just going to "run in the store" for a minute; because somehow them "running into" the store to get a gallon of milk is so very different from people like me who park in the parking lot and go in the store to buy some milk

Bezalel

In the Old Testament book of Exodus, reference is made to a little known man named Bezalel (chapter 31:1-11). There are several things that I find striking about Bezalel, the man he was as well as his relationship to Moses:

1. God gave the command and the direction for how the tabernacle should be built to Moses but He gave the skill and knowledge on how to actually build it to Bezalel (v.11).

2. Moses we've heard about, but Bezalel, not so much. Moses was a leader of people but he was not a builder as Bezalel was (v. 3). However, God used both of them, just in very different ways.

3. At the moment that Bezalel was selected by God for this special purpose (v. 2), it's very likely that Bezalel was simply going about his daily business. He probably never gave any thought that he might one day have his name included in Scripture. But he was living his life in such a way that God could, and did, use him.

Here's The Point: Bezalel was not known as a preacher, teacher or worship leader. But he was filled with "the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship" (v. 3). Each of us should use the skills that God has given us, whatever they may be, in His service.

Friends Becoming Parents

It's only been in the last three and a half years that Tonya and I have been connecting with young married and engaged couples through Bible Fellowship and Small Groups. Both have been wonderful experiences. But another super thing is beginning to happen. Some of the couples for whom I have conducted their pre-marital counseling are beginning to become parents. That is so cool!

To have played a small role in helping these couples try to get their marriage started well, and then to try to help encourage and mentor them and ultimately to see their marriages thrive, it's now doubly rewarding to see God bless them with children!!

Congratulations guys!!

In Times of Struggle

Taught through Romans chapter 7 on Sunday. In verses 13-25, Paul (the author of Acts) writes of the struggles that he continually faced in his daily life: v. 18 and 19 (NIV)- "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing". Paul's honesty is very encouraging. To think that the Apostle Paul, the author of much of the New Testament and the carrier of the Gospel to much of the world had struggles is, in many ways, very helpful. If Paul, a man of great faith and conviction, had struggles, it should come as no surprise that we will as well (I mean Paul is like a Major League Hall-of Famer; I often feel like I'm in the low minor leagues).

Here's The Point: We often think that everyone who attends church, reads their Bible, etc. has everything all figured out. With no struggles. No rough days. No difficult times. No spiritual battles. To know that Paul had struggles helps me realize that you and I are not alone. And the answer to Paul's struggles is the same answer for you and me: v. 24b and 25a- "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God- through Jesus Christ our Lord".