This year for Christmas we decided we would give time. Not like a Rolex, or anything like that, but an intentional effort to spend time with my parents. So, we calendared two weeks of vacation, one with my mom and the other with my dad. Our schedules are hectic and the earlier we can get it on the calendar the better the chance it will actually happen.
Easter morning was an amazing day full of love, laughter, and the Holy Spirit. The church that I serve had undergone a major transformation, and to have so many new visitors be in the space, followed by a powerful time with God, was, well, a great morning. It was one of those experiences when I found myself looking around and saying, “Wow.” I felt as if the church and all that God was doing through our community was clearly on display. I was incredibly humbled by the response, the visitors, and the Spirit that was following through the church.
This weekend is the single biggest weekend in the church calendar. It is the culmination of what Christians believe, and the event is celebrated around the world. It is the Super Bowl of the church, and the week prior is like the playoffs.
Just last week Centerville UMC became a very special place. No, this didn’t happen during worship, or even at a prayer vigil. It came when the church became a local polling place. During this past year the Montgomery County Board of Elections came to ask if our church could be a site in this year’s elections. I responded with a vivacious “Yes!”
Have you ever watched American Idol? There is always that part in the beginning when they have the auditions, and there is that awful singer who really believes they can sing, but we all know that they can’t. It feels as if I’m watching a train wreck. I even get to the point where I’m embarrassed for them. Every time I see someone like that I ask myself the same question, “Do they not have anyone who loves them enough to tell them the truth?”
Maybe it’s time for all of us to take a deep breath and find something to laugh at in life. Surround yourself with people you love or people you care about and be intentional about taking in the laughter.
I think there are moments in life when good is no longer good enough. It is a moment when the status quo, no matter how good, is no longer acceptable. I recently had one of those moments when I had to decide the future of our children’s moment in worship.
Last week I took part in celebrating the life of an incredible man. He was the kind of guy who oozed fun and, at the same time, could have the best conversations with you. Pat Kiefer was one of the most amazing men I’ve ever met.
February 15th will mark thirteen years of marriage. When Karen and I got married, we were twenty-two years old and the world was at our fingertips. She had recently started a new job working as a child-care professional, and I was destined to make millions in the financial services field. We had a quaint cape-cod in north Dayton and ginormous plans.
Do you ever look at your family and wish you were better? You know what I mean. Maybe you wish you didn’t work so much. Maybe you wish that you ate more dinners at home, or ate a more well-balanced diet. Maybe you wish you did more educational family activities. I think that if all of us had a moment of truth, we could find something that we wish we did better for our family.