It has been quite awhile since I blogged. There seems to be a lot going on in my life, ministry, and in the church both local and at the state level. I am still waiting to see if I will be a grandpa for the 5th time. Hopefully by tomorrow. Tonight will be with the other two grand daughters.

Pentecost is next Sunday. I have been thinking and reflecting on some of the ways that we are worshipping at our church and with consultation have decided to take a look at changing some of the structure of the services. Currently we offer three services. Two on Sunday, the first is more contemporary and the second is traditional which means more liturgical. We also offer a Wednesday communion service so that we have communion every week that I am around. One way I have been contemplating changing the sermon is to plan at least one month and actually I have three months of sermon ideas and questions to reflect on. What I hope will happen is that people will read the scripture for that day and reflect and answer the questions that I have included. Then when they come to the service, we can reflect together what they have learned and what I may offer. I feel that this Sunday is the time we can look at this as the disciples found themselves thinking beyond what was and moving forward to what God wants. So here are the scriptures for June and the questions to reflect on:
Over the next month the following are the scriptures that will be the focus of the service. I am asking that you read them and reflect on some of the questions that are proposed so that you may be prepared for the service.

June 7th: John 3:1-17
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believed in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”
When you read this verse what strikes you the most? Do you feel loved by God? John 3:17-18 continues about judgment. Do you feel assured of your salvation? Hoe do you see hope in these times? What does it mean to you to be born with new life?

June 14th: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
“for the Lord does not see as mortals see, they look on the outward appearances, but the Lord looks on the heart. (16:7b)”
This is the story of the choosing David as the new king of Israel. How does this story speak to your understanding of leadership today? How do you make judgments of others? Samuel was afraid to go to Bethlehem but he went anyway. Are there times in your life you felt the call of God but were afraid to act on it?

June 21st: 1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49
This is the story of David and Goliath. In your life have there been situations that seem gigantic and overwhelming? What were some of the ways that you tried to handle those times? Did you feel that you were able to strategize your way around the situations? What learning’s have you kept to face such times again?

June 28th: Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 often found in the apocrypha.
13-15 “because God did not make death and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is not destructive poison in them, for the dominion of Hades is not on earth. For righteousness is immortal.
23-24: for God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.”
To better understand these verses, read Wisdom of Solomon 1:1-2:24 in its entirety. There are those that say that the 10th commandment about coveting your neighbor’s wife and possessions covers almost the entire 10 commandments. Envy is often seen as one of the seven deadly sins. The author is also portraying two views of existence. What do you believe about our life? Is it accidental; short and there is nothing else? Should we just live it up to escape the despair? What outcomes might you imagine with such narcissist view? Or do you believe we are created for a purpose not by chance and that death is not the final answer? Is creation truly wholesome and that injustice foreign to creation?

I hope to summarize after each service what was talked about. This could also be something that could be used for small group discussions and even in families. I will be doing a sermon series on families starting in July. Stay tuned.

I have been absent from writing for the past week. I have been concerned about my daughter-in-law's health. Also it has been a busy time planning for worship, workshops for this weekend and for Monday. It seems that I have forgotten to take time to center myself. So tonight prior to the workshop I am spending time reflecting and praying and writing.
Part of the workshop will be dealing with Christian small group leaders. It is ironic that part of the workshop deals with living one's spiritual discipline and being held accountable to doing so. I know that I need to take the time and not allow excuses or other activities to interfere with this time. So no TV and I will be signing off on this rambling.
I hope to spend time tomorrow reflecting on my continued thoughts on families and relationships.

Just a short note. Tomorrow I will begin to focus on Sunday and my sermon. I have been so caught up in this sermon series that is forming in my thoughts and dreams dealing with families and ways that we can build relationships and strengthen our spiritual lives as well. I have posted on facebook about getting some info about the challenges that families face today. I have already received some excellent thoughts. I will be asking church members this Sunday and next to do the same.

For those who read this, if you want to post a comment I would look forward to your input. I will also be posting the sermon notes after the sermon is completed here with a tie-in on facebook. We may be looking at some future time doing a podcast but right now lack the equipment and experts to do so. Stay tuned. We may post to our conference web site.

I believe that this can be an important time for us to reflect on the importance of families. And what better time to begin to bring this up than on Mother's Day this Sunday.

I hope that this day and this weekend is a special one especially for all women who have been important in our lives. take a moment to remember them and not just one day but appreciate them everyday.

Families

I am on vacation but have been contemplating several ideas that have been striking to me. I have been thinking about a sermon series that I am proposing to do about straightening families. The sermon series will focus on the challenges that families face and how can we respond as family members and as members of the church. I will be asking for input as to what the greatest challenges you feel we face today as a family whether your own or what you see in our world. As I research this, I have come across some interesting quotes from some unusual places. There is one I want to share from you from Michael Medved, author of Right Turns and radio talk show host.

"Americans spend an average of 29 hours a week watching television- which means in a typical life span we devote 13 uninterrupted years to our TV sets! The biggest problem with mass media isn't low quality-it's high quantity. Cutting down just an hour a day would provide extra years of life--for music and family, exercise and reading, conversation and coffee."

What was interesting about where I read this quote was on a Starbucks coffee. Low quality versus high quantity. We talk about the lack of time we have to enjoy our family and to spend time with our children. What struck me was what would our children be if the first 13 years of life were 24/7 in front of a television. Can you imagine what they would learn about the world that we live in and would it be really the world we live in. I also think about what would it be like if we would just cut out one hour a week of TV. Would the world end, would the economy falter because of the lack of exposure to advertisements for things that we don't need?
Give me your input and let us reflect on ways that we can strengthen our relationships with each other.