Prayer for Virginia Tech

Father in heaven, we acknowledge the gift of life for it was your Son Jesus who received life-giving power, wisdom, strength, and final glory. He was once pronounced as dead yet now he is alive forevermore. And it is in the light of his resurrection that we confess our sins and accept your sovereignty.
This morning we lift up the city of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech. May your Spirit remain with the many that have experienced loss of life during this period of human tragedy. We pray for the families, neighbors, and friends. We pray for the staff, professors, and administrators. Ultimately, we pray for the human predicament of sin and death that can cause this kind of pain yet may compel many to turn to you.
God of restoration, we pray that your hand will move over this world so that it may one day be guided by a kind of spiritual ethic that works for the good of others. You have filled our nets with plenty. We offer back to you gifts for your glory and for reaching others with the news of the gospel. In the name of our Loving, Forgiving Lord we pray. Amen.

Goodbye to a Good Man

On Sunday, our congregation was surprised to hear of the resignation of our pastor Ken Corr. Many tears were shed on this day. We will miss him dearly. I have only known Dr. Corr for 3+ years but I see the same things that others see in him. A wonderful pastor, husband, and father. One who would not compromise the meaning of the gospel under any circumstances. A creative thinker who gave his ministerial staff the OK on most things if it aided in the ministry to others. He was a leader for social justice and considered it to be integral to the true meaning of Jesus' words. Dr. Corr has left his fingerprint on FBC Memphis and for that we are confident about the future. Without him there would have been no stability and far less community. Without him it is possible that we might have only heard trite and inspirational sermons. Instead, he provided his congregation and 40,000 other TV listeners with deep, meaningful, and tranforming sermons. Truthfully, I never heard Dr. Ken Corr preach a bad sermon. I've always thought that if any pastor could get his members to talk about the sermon at the lunch table following the service then he has accomplished something great. As he pursues other interests, I pray that God will give will give him guidance for the future and a peace about the past. God has a specific will for Dr. Corr but we all must accept God's hidden will also. That hidden will is the will of God that no one can see. It is God working in and throughout history. God's hidden will is that in which we must place our confidence and faith. Confidence that God continues to work in the details of life and a faith that He will keep his promises to the end.

The Woman in my Ipod

I was surprised at Christmas when my wife bought me a nano. I felt like a 16 year old. I didn't think I would use it that much unless I became stranded in an airport or decided to go back to college. Would I begin to use phrases like, "What it is?" or "'Sup Bro?" But it has turned me into a runner. I used to make fun of runners. I was annoyed by runners. I could not understand what would drive an adult to run without an animal chasing him. So I purchased a Nike Ipod Sports Kit. I'm sure professional runners would make fun of it but I am convinced the little lady inside is going to keep me from having a heart attack one day. In case you don't know, the Sports Kit comes with an adapter that will communicate wirelessly with a chip on the runner's shoe. And it keeps track of your runs, distance, calories burned, and more. I love it. But I think there is something deeper going on. I don't want to let the woman down who updates me on my progress. Sometimes I push a button mid-stride so I can hear her pleasant voice. "Five minutes remaining," she tells me. And five more minutes I run. So I ate fish tacos at lunch and a sausage biscuit for breakfast. I may be exhausted but I will not...I repeat....will not let the Nike woman down. So far I have run close to 70 miles with 20 some odd runs and I owe it all to her.

Thank you Nike woman.

Easter and a man named Bondone

A commentary on the book of John alerted me to this painting by the artist Bondone. His resurrection interpretation is interesting to say the least. I'm not necessarily offended by it. I often imagine Jesus taking on the very role that is captured of him on the extreme right of the painting. He is victorious...yet distant. He is powerful...yet too powerful for our true human emotions. He has risen indeed...but I only see him from behind.
I'm sure Bondone was sincere and I confess my temptation to jump on board with his dramatic painting. However, simply pause for just a moment and realize the message being conveyed. Jesus is captured as not allowing Mary to approach him. Way off Bondone. Jesus seems as one hushing her and not allowing her to speak words of astonishment. Bandone, you didn't have to paint Jesus doing a stiff arm. Jesus may as well be saying, "Don't follow me."
But we know that Jesus appeared to reveal just the opposite of what may be conveyed in the painting. Jesus seeks not only fellowship and a following, but an actual dwelling place in the life of a believer.
If I could paint...and I cannot...I might have Jesus with both of his arms stretched out. Mary would be holding a flag of victory and Jesus would be the one trying to overcome his emotion to speak.

Everything rests on his resurrection. Or as John Updike says,

Make

no mistake:

If he rose at all

it was as His body;

if the cells' dissolution did not reverse,

the molecules reknit, the amino

acids rekindle,

the church

will fall...

Brown Bags and Loose Change

What is injustice anyway? There are many definitions ranging from McDonald's not giving you your fries that you ordered to not paying an individual for his hard work. Unfortunately, injustice still exists in the world and, if anything, it is more organized.

Please get involved with The International Justice Misssion. www.ijm.org. This organization fights hard for the less fortunate. By less fortunate I am referring to child trafficking and child slavery.

On Sunday May 6th, the children and adults will learn about injustice and also raise funds for IJM. Bring $5, donate it, and receive a brown gift bag. But who knows what you will get? You may be one of the fortunate ones to receive a $5 gift card to a local burger joint. Most likely you won't get anything special for what you put in. Maybe it will be an old rusty nail. Maybe it will be a piece of yarn. Sometimes people give and give but hardly get anything in return.

Family Movie Night

Don't forget about the family movie night this Friday, April 13th. The fun begins at 7pm. Looks like there is rain in the forecast but this shouldn't be too big of a problem. We will just move into the gym and watch it on the big screen.

It goes without saying due to the picture on the left that we will be watching Charlotte's Web.

Bring your family and friends!

Easter Egg Hunt

What a great time we had on Saturday. We did the best we could in remaining silent in the chapel only to hear the clanging of a cymbal to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. It was cold, especially in the shade, but the children didn't care. There was candy to be found and a gigantic duck would lead the way to a sugar high that would last all day. The energy was enhanced by the 31 degree weather.

You have to love Easter weekend. Especially the consecutive 6:28am sugar rushes.

But fun was had by all. The faith community at its best.

Don't forget about the family movie night on Friday, April 13th.

My yard this Spring

My yard is finally turning into the yard that I want it to be. Now time to start in the back. My plans are to have the stone path lead to some hydrangas planted in honor of my grandmother who passed away many years ago. Her home in Batesville, MS was adorned with many hydrangas in which you could hide from older brothers and cousins.

The Silence of Saturday

Almighty God,through your Son Jesus Christ You overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life;grant us so to die daily to sin,that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection:
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God now and for ever. Amen.

Today calls for reflection on the silence of Saturday. Or maybe it was a spirit of meaninglessness. Betrayed by his friends. A problem solved by the Romans. A threat extinguished by the masses.

Good Friday Prayer

Today, on the quietest day of the year, we have come to sit in the presence of one who was fully who God created him to be every day of his life--who loved God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength, and with all his mind--and who loved his friends so much that he stepped into the oncoming traffic of death in order to push them out of the way. He furthermore did it all with no more than the basic human equipment--a beating heart, two good hands, a holy vision, and some companions who could see it too--thereby showing the rest of us humans that such a life is not beyond our reach. Whatever else happens on Sunday, here is enough reason to call this Friday Good. Amen.

- Barbara Brown Taylor

Maundy Thursday

Creator God,we thank you for the nourishment
you give us.For bread and fruit of the vine.God of freedom,we thank you that you do not leave us in bondage,but act in power to liberate us from all oppression.We thank you that Christ,acting in courage and faith,has won for us the victory over sin and death.May the bread and winebe signs of your renewed covenant with us,and may we be ever faithful,until the coming of your final Peace. Amen.

The other day I mentioned to someone that we were having a Maundy Thursday service at church. You would have thought that I had bicycle tires for ears. But that is OK. It may very well be the way I prefer it to be. If every congregation of believers gathered for Maundy Thursday it would no doubt turn into something that it should not be. Too much creativity and competition can steal the message away from the original purpose. Maundy Thursday should remain in the shadow of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a day for remembrance and solitude. It is a service that should never be held around every corner. Maundy Thursday is something special that would lose its meaning if it ever made the headlines of the local newspapers. Let us all love one another, gather, and reflect on the small group of imperfect believers that Jesus referred to as friends.

Holy Week

The cross looms ever closer.

And Jesus moves forward.
Yet, through death comes life.

Out of darkness comes light.

‘My God, my God.’ Those are the words you cried. Somehow those words are a comfort to us all. May we truly see the sacrifice, the love, and the message of the cross.
May we truly experience the power, the hope, and life of the resurrection.

Thomas Merton. What would a Baptist minister do without him? He symbolizes both the man I would like to be but would also hate to become. You know, he only watched TV twice in his life. I imagine that he would have never owned an Ipod.
Everyone should read Seeds. Edited by Robert Inchausti. You'll find the book a bit dated since the issues at hand during these writings did not have within its context the latest tech advances, 9/11, or an invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, his writings are timeless.
Within one of his writings, a statement stood out and just so happened to be the one that made no sense at first glance.
Merton wrote, "Why then do we persecute ourselves with illusory demands, never content until we feel we have conformed to some standard of happiness that is not good for us only, but for everyone?" Do we have to consult the rest of the world to receive approval for what makes a person happy? Must we insist on a happiness that is approved by magazines, movies, TV, and celebrities.
God has offered us a secret gift of happiness that is particular to us as believers. It is possible that we do not believe in a happiness that is given to us for nothing.
It is holy week...let us all accept that we can be happy with a happiness that has no price tag on it.