We’ve spent the past week visiting family in Texas. We went to church with them on Sunday, and must have caught it just right - they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper - which they rarely do. While I am thankful that they were celebrating it that day - especially since my children are used to celebrating it weekly - I couldn’t help but notice a few things.

First, the sermon was about the Last Supper - which is fine - except that the pastor “internalized” the entire actions of the Last Supper account. Where Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and then gave it to the disciples, the pastor applied these actions to our lives as Christians: Jesus takes us, blesses us, then breaks us, and then gives us (service). Again, this wasn’t so bad - a bit of a stretch at some points - but not without merit. The problem was that he never discussed the reality of the Supper, thereby leaving people to concentrate on themselves rather than reality of the Meal. This is a reoccurring theme in the evangelical church today - individualism. Certainly there is an aspect of our Christian walk that requires us to reflect, repent, and reform our individual walks, but this is never divorced from our congregational reality. Instead, the focus was on our daily walk, the everyday blessings and the unavoidable “breakings” that we must recognize and use as part of our sanctification. The pastor missed the perfect opportunity! If we are taken, blessed, broken, and given, then this is what happens at the Lord’s Supper - or more specifically - every Lord’s Day when we renew covenant with God! He calls us(takes us) to worship, we confess our sins corporately, we are reminded (blessed) of His remarkable forgiveness, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices in praise and He breaks us with the sword of Truth, only to rebuild us and remake us into something better, something useful, and He invites us to sit and dine with Him, strengthening us before sending us (giving us) out into the world for another week.

Second, this church had a number of big screens in use during worship.  (As an aside, I had forgotten how distracting these screens are. We were dead center, about 8 rows from the front in a pretty big church, yet I kept looking at the screen rather than the pastor - who was less than 20 feet away). Anyways, during communion, they had this nice, comforting picture on the big screeens of a wine glass and loaf of bread next to welcoming fireplace. Unfortunately, they served us miniscule wafers and thimbles full of grape juice. My kids were quite disappointed, to say the least. Especially the baby, who is used to eating off of Denise’s hunk of bread.

Finally, it has been a while since I was a part of a Lord’s Supper where the mood was solemn. What a drag! Here we are, dining with our Lord and other Christians, celebrating victory over death, and we have to sit there with our heads bowed, listening to some guy sing (we couldn’t even sing!!!) a rather depressing song - which is not surprising given that there was no other time in service dedicated to confession. Of course, our two youngest - who are used to a celebration - rejoiced out loud when it came time to eat and drink. Thankully we didn’t get any stink eyes.

On a positive note, regardless of the carelessness of the observance, it was still encouraging to look around the big church and see about 800 other Christians eating and drinking together, which, when I think about it, is what really matters most.

Why does a mother feed her child?

Simple. If she doesn’t, the child will starve.

But even more importantly, what motivates her to feed her child?

Simple. A mother’s love.

How does this child learn to need her mother?

Simple. When she is hungry, her mother always feeds her.

But even more importantly, how does this child learn to love her mother?

Simple. A mother’s love.

Wouldn’t it be crazy if a child had to prove her love for her mother before she was able to eat?

Wouldn’t it be crazy if we expected a child to depend on her mother if she was never given the opportunity to eat what her mother offered?

Wouldn’t it be horrible if the child were reminded of this at every family meal?

On behalf of the Field Service Representatives at Nashville Electric Service, and Field Service Representatives everywhere, please consider the following suggestion….

If you own a home, or are building a home, with a bathroom window, please be sure to cover this window when the bathroom is in use - even if said bathroom is facing a private sector of your yard. Remember, your local FSR must sometimes obtain access to those areas of your yard that usually go unintruded by others, and your FSR would prefer to avoid any embarrassing episode or gag inducing incident. After all, it is quite uncomfortable enough to suddenly encounter another human being sitting on the john, but -as I discovered today - this distress is greatly expanded when the look on this person’s face strongly suggests that their diet is in serious need of some fiber. Plus, to add insult to injury, all the hard work he had put in to this point was lost from the surprise of seeing another man suddenly outside his bathroom window. So please, cover your bathroom windows. Thank you.

On behalf of the Field Service Representatives at Nashville Electric Service, and Field Service Representatives everywhere, please consider the following suggestions….

When you encounter an FSR in on your property and you feel the need to acknowledge him - or worse, initiate small talk - please refrain from these two possible phrases:

1) “Hey guy/gal, how ’bout a discount?” Other similar, but equally annoying phrases include: “There must be something wrong with my meter, its too high,” “Are you sure you’re reading my meter correctly?” and “Don’t worry about reading my meter, I didn’t use any this month.”

2) “Uh-Oh, it’s the electric/water/gas guy/gal, I better let the dog loose.” Other similar, but equally obnoxious phrases include: “I thought it was burglar sneaking around my yard, but when I saw it was the meter guy/gal, I got my gun,” or “Look, it’s public enemy #1.” All proceeding phrases are followed by cheesy laughs.

Seriously, quit it. We don’t find it amusing or clever, and in fact, after a long day in the hot sun, it’s usually enough to push us over the edge and read your meter a little too high that month. If you need to acknowledge us, a simple smile, head nod, or “Hi” will do. And if you feel you must go out of your way and engage us, we much prefer an appreciative comment to a wiseass crack. A bottle of cold water is also nice. Thank you.

Top 5 Movies I’ve seen in recent months (or the reason I don’t post on my blog as much as I used to):

1) The Dark Knight

Easily the best of the superhero movies - unless you count Unbreakable as a superhero movie. Heath Ledger is phenomenal - as all the hype suggests - but Aaron Eckhart needs some props, too. In fact, I would say Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face is the tragic star of the movie. A very fun movie.

2) Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling has got to be one of the best young actors in the biz. I’ve enjoyed all of his movies, which mostly include smaller films like this one. Here’s the premise: Lars (Gosling) is a delusional and extremely shy young man who can’t even handle eating a meal with with his own brother and sister-in-law. All this changes when Lars buys a sex doll, falls in love with her, and presents her to everyone as his real girlfriend (who happens to be a foreign missionary who is wheel-chair bound). This sounds worse than it really is. Lars is a moral and God-fearing man who asks his family to let “Bianca” sleep at their house, so as not to tarnish her reputation. When Lars’ psychiatrist (the always excellent Patricia Clarkson) insists that this is Lars’ way of dealing with his issues and that playing along will actually help him, his family recruits the rest of the small town to play along. This movie portrays community as well as any film I’ve ever seen. The whole town (starting with the church) works together to help Lars -  even to their own embarrassment and discomfort. I highly recommend Lars and the Real Girl, and as there is nothing objectional, it is fine for the family and is an excellent example of Christian love in practice (although you may have to explain what “Bianca” is, so use your own discretion).

3) Bella

This movie was promoted as a “Christian” movie along the same lines as Facing the Giants and End of the Spear…. which is why it took so long for me to watch it. In fact, the previews on the dvd were so cheesy that I almost gave up before I started. I’m glad I didn’t. Bella is a perfect example of what a truly independent film looks like. It was well written, well acted, and well filmed. It portrayed real Christianity without being heavy-handed. This was a very sweet movie that is well worth your time… but be careful guys, you may just shed a tear or two!

4) Get Smart

I’m not the kind of guy that likes stupid comedies. Sure, I’ll watch them with the guys, but I hardly ever watch them for my own entertainment. This is not a stupid comedy. This movie had legitimate laughs and never stooped down into the bathroom humor department. Part of the reason was that the main character - played by Steve Carell - was not a bumbling idiot, like many other comedys (see Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, etc). This could have easily been another Naked Gun, but it turned out to be more like a real James Bond flick with some serious belly laughs. In fact, some of the action was amazing. I think Carell is the funniest guy out there today, and he proves it in this movie. And anytime you let Alan Arkin loose, its going to be a good time.

5) Sideways

This film was a sleeper hit a few years ago. It was also an independent film that was well done on every front - although it is not as family friendly as Bella. I believe it was this movie that catapulted Paul Giamatti into the spot light and he well deserved it. He is a phenomenal actor and the other three main characters did an excellent job as well. This movie had the right mix of humor, bitterness, sadness, and intelligence… hey, just like real life. Some of the scenes were just out-right, laugh till your stomach hurts, funny and worth the rental alone… you’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it. Be aware, though - this movie is rated R and contains some adult themes and language.

When I was in Bible College, I took a class on pastoral leadership. It covered everything from counseling to weddings to funerals. One of the topics we covered was baptism - not the doctrine, but the “how to.” In fact, one day we took a trip to the school pool for baptism practice. Being a proper Southern Baptist school, we would be practising immersion. Unfortunately, it was mid Februrary - in Kentucky - so it was much too cold to practice in the pool. Fortunately, though, there was a hot tub. So we all got in our swim trunks and commenced to baptizing. In a class of about 20 guys, it would seem that the best plan of action would be to pair up, with each team practising on each other when their turn came up. Nope. My professor had the bright idea that if everyone was able to immerse the biggest guy in the class, then they should be able to immerse everyone. That big guy was me. So for the next hour I was immersed into a hot tub about 50-60 times. Why so many? Well, when a 5′5″ 125 lb. guy has to immerse a 6′4″ 270 lb. guy, sometimes it takes a few (see 10 - 12) times. Which got me thinking….

If immersion is the proper mode of baptism, does being a weakling disqualify you from the ministry? Should ordination require some sort of fitness program? Maybe every church should require at least one staff member of significant strength… just in case. And what about the baptizee? What if Shaquille O’Neal became a baptist? I guess you could rig some sort of pulley system. And what if your in an area that doesn’t have an indoor baptismal? What about all the years leading up to the invention of the indoor baptismal? Is this why there are more Southern Baptists than Northern Baptists. Let’s face it… if I got saved 80 years ago in rural Minnesota, mid- January, I’m seriously considering Lutheran over Baptist. Of course, this leads us to more serious considerations: what about the disabled, the sickly, the elderly, the babies (oh, wait, nevermind)…

For the record, hot tubs are not meant for immersion… they’re not pools. They’re also not meant for strenuous activity… this is why there are not olympic sized hot tubs. So, needless to say, I was almost baptized to death that day. I was completely dehydrated, had a migraine, and my eyes were a pretty shade of red. But I did feel much better after a nice cool shower… hmmmm….

I work with a guy who is going through a divorce… a nasty one it seems. We were talking about it the other day and I asked him why they were divorcing - especially considering they had two little boys. “Well, she’s a …. ” He then proceeded to call her names that I probably shouldn’t repeat on here. So I guessed “She cheated on you?” Nope. He never would be specific about the reason, and I didn’t really press him, mainly because I didn’t think he could actually tell me. I went to a meeting the other day where the instructor introduced herself as a recently happy woman after leaving her husband of 30 years. I also recently talked to a good friend of mine who is on the verge of divorce - he has the papers, but has yet to file them. He can’t bring himself to do it. I asked him why. He said, “I know that despite how bad things seem to be right now, if I divorce her, I will regret it. I want this to be over sometimes - to just start over. That’s what my friends and family are telling me to do. They tell me I can find a godly woman who is right for me and who will be good to me, and that may be true. But I know that if I persevere in this marriage - even if it takes 10 years to become a happy couple - God will be more glorified and will bless us.” If only the other millions of families going through or contemplating divorce had this perspective. We all know people whose marriages are falling apart and who are not choosing to honor God by making the right decisions. Pray for these people daily that God would grant them the same perspective as my friend so that they might glorify God through their marriage.

Anyone interested in hospitality!? I know I am.  I am always looking for tips to help things go smoothly.  Found this post via Brandy- thanks so much darlin’!  On my way to the Sunshine State today.  I can’t wait to soak in a few rays and some much needed Mom and sister time!

I’m growing a green thumb?! I am growing 2 kinds of tomatoes. One finally has 2 smally tomatoes on it! We are so excited. We also have a bleeding heart- beautiful and some pretty bulbs have poked up in our pots hanging over the porch railing.  It has been fun living in the country. There are so many beautiful things growing here. A new color pops up as soon as something else dies off.  I love spring and summer for that! We are also looking forward to harvesting the 2 peach trees and 1 apple tree.  I’ll take a turn at canning if there is a good fruit!

Lucy is standing and clapping already! I can’t believe she is already approaching 8 mths. Man time flies.

My trip to OR went well considering.  God is good all the time and was clearly comforting us in various ways in regards to losing my step-mom. Thank you for your prayers!

Denise’s stepmom, Connie, died this past week. It appears that she died suddenly and peacefully in her sleep, which we praise God for. We were close to her, even though she lived many miles away in Oregon. Denise will be flying out there with her sister this week to help with the funeral arrangements and other things that have to be sorted out. We wanted to let everyone know this so that they can be praying for Denise and the rest of the family, as it will be a difficult week.

Connie was very special to us. As Denise and I have been talking about her and recalling special memories, one word in particular keep coming up: Perserverance. Life has not always been easy on Connie. She moved back to Oregon a few years ago to take care of her elderly parents and the last two years have seen her mother succumb to Alzeihmer’s and placed in a nursing home and the death of her father. Yet she perservered. We know this in many ways, but especially in the fact that she continued to take care of the family farm and document her everyday life in letters to her grandchildren on a weekly basis. Every week Molly, Katie, and Lucy would get letters addressed to them from Grandma telling them about how the horses were doing, or how the apples trees were blooming, or what vegetables she planted that day, or what her dogs were chasing after. Just day to day stuff that made the girls feel like they were a part of her life… which is difficult when you’re so far away. But it made a difference. Everyday when we check the mail they ask “Is there a letter from Grandma?”… and usually there were - 3 or 4 pages, with plenty of stickers. Me? I just looked forward to the delicious jams she would send us that she had made from her own garden.

The legacy she leaves behind is a unique one, and full of faith. While we will always have the letters she wrote, the recipes she shared with us, the quilts she made us, and the pictures of our time together, I pray that in our life, and in our children’s lives especially, we can follow her example of perserverance and to show other’s that love is active, whether it’s in the ink of a thoughtful letter, the stitch of a quilt, meeting the physical needs of another, or loving someone as if they were you’re own. We miss you, Grandma, but we know we will see you again. Praise the Lord.

I hate that feeling. It’s sort of liked being robbed, I suppose, except that I handed the money to the thief out of my own free will. We went to the Tennessee Renaissance Festival today. We thought it would be a fun experience and the girls would get a kick out of it. The advertisements made it seem like there would be all sorts of great things to do - sort of like a state fair, but with knights and princesses. Well, not quite.

First of all, the cost was $18 per adult. Thankfully the children were free. I went ahead and paid the price, though, because of all the cool stuff that I thought would be included in the price. Wrong. $18 just got you in the door and then they nickel and dimed - well dollar and five dollared - you the rest of the time. Every ride the girls wanted to ride - $5. I let them ride the camel and that was it. The girls wanted their face painted - the cheapest one was $2 and it was the worst butterfly I had ever seen. The good ones - no joke - cost $10. Thirsty? A bottle of water - $2. Hungry? Fried Corn - $3. Even the “free” entertainment cost us. We saw a pretty amusing comedy routine with knife throwers and jugglers. When it was over they mentioned- a number of times - how our donations were how they made their living, and then they stood at the exit with their hats sticking in your face. Of course you’re going to give them a buck or two. We finally made our way to the human chess match with promises of realistic sword duels whenever one side’s player took out the other. Ummmm, no. Instead, it looked like this. But with two of ‘em. I mean, for $18, at least practice once or twice.

Oh, and speaking of dorks, it felt like we were at a Star Trek convention. You know, where everyone dresses up like Klingons or with Spock ears. How in the world are there that many people in Tennessee with Robin Hood outfits? I mean, is this what you do when you outgrow Dungeons and Dragons? This part didn’t bother me as bad as you would think, though. In fact, the best part of the event was the people watching. But there were sooooo many of them. I was constantly getting poked by someone’s sword…. I hope.

Finally, the one reason I wanted to go was to see the castle - supposedly a full-fledged castle. Of course, it was no where to be seen. You had to take a 5 minute bus ride (yeah, right… I want to spend 5 minutes on a bus with the Purple Knight and his, uh, ministrel), and the wait for the bus was - drum roll please - 30 minutes. Survey says, “brrrrrrrnttttt.”

So we left after two and a half hours. We got some excellent bar-b-que from Whitt’s for less than $10 and then went to the park and played…. for free.