Look in the mirror

This is a hard hitting poem. It is kind of like looking in the mirror.

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,

Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbour
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why's everyone so quiet,
So sombre - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT.

Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian
any more than standing in your garage makes you a car .

Every saint has a PAST....
Every sinner has a FUTURE!

Cal

God lives under the bed

A friend sent this to me. I don't know where it came from or if it is real. But it speaks to the essential truth of life and faith. Read it and think about it. I wish I could learn to live the simple life and see things as they are.

Cal

GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed...'

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them. I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, then returns to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied.

He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.

And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.

His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips..

He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be.

His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.

His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.

Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all!

God has an answer

HANDY LITTLE CHART- GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:

YOU SAY	GOD SAYS	BIBLE VERSES
You say:'It's impossible'	God says:All things are possible	(Luke 18:27)
You say:'I'm too tired'	God says:I will give you rest	(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say:'Nobody really loves me'	God says:I love you	(John 3:16 & John 3:34 )
You say:'I can't go on'	God says:My grace is sufficient	(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say:'I can't figure things out'	God says:I will direct your steps	(Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say:'I can't do it'	God says:You can do all things	(Philippians 4:13)
You say:'I'm not able'	God says:I am able	(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say:'It's not worth it'	God says:It will be worth it	(Roman 8:28 )
You say:'I can't forgive myself'	God says:I Forgive you	(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say:'I can't manage'	God says:I will supply all your needs	(Philippians 4:19)
You say:'I'm afraid'	God says:I have not given you a spirit of fear	(II Timothy 1:7)
You say:'I'm always worried and frustrated'	God says:Cast all your cares on ME	(I Peter 5:7)
You say:'I'm not smart enough'	God says:I give you wisdom	(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say:'I feel all alone'	God says:I will never leave you or forsake you

Is it time to renew our vows?

In our Protestant Churches an installation service for a new Pastor is kind of like a wedding. All the hope and promise is there. So are the words of warning and encouragement. Both parties are asked to make a vow. Both are given responsibilities. There is music and glitz and glamor and a big feast after wards.

These thought came back to me again on Sunday afternoon as Rev. Nancy Morrow was installed as the new pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Norwich. It was a very nice service with lots of music and an upbeat, hopeful mood. It also seemed very appropriate that it was held on Valentine's Day when I thought about it later in the day. I was glad to be there.

As I was reflecting on the day this morning, I felt a little jealous. I wished there was some way we could do something like that for us here at First Baptist. I've been here twenty fifth years come June. It has been a great run for us at the First Baptist Church of Norwich. I began in 1985 and was hoping that I could last five years.

I was a young pastor right out of seminary. I was blessed with a wonderful mentor growing up. My pastor took the time to talk to me about church and taught me all about pastoring. When I went to seminary I met a pastor who was the model of integrity and I worked with him and learned from him. In my second year of seminary I was called to serve a small congregation in Charlestown, Rhode Island. I met a great pastor in a neighboring town after I had been there for a short time. He shepherded me through those first days of ministry. When I came to Norwich I was excited and ready to go.

My first sermon was entitled "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and I laid out my plan for a five year mission. I said we could reevaluate things at the end of that time. I just hoped they still wanted me when we got there.

My ministry in Norwich has now been a series of five year missions. It seems like every five years we get a chance to look back and look ahead. Life has certainly changed as we finish up our fifth mission together.

The first mission was one of discovery and getting to know the the universe together. The second mission was one of growth and exploration. I got my doctorate during those year and kept trying new things. The third mission was one of rapid advancement and colonization, if you will. We grew and brought in new members. We began expanding our sports ministries and our music ministries. We added services and tried lots of new things. The fourth mission was a time of renewing and reorganizing. We began interacting more with our community and our sister churches. The fifth five year year mission was a time of rethinking and redirecting our ministry. We began to see our mission as one of transformation. It included mission trips and a mission church emphasis.

Lori and I have been married 28 years this May and both of us have changed so much in that time. That's what happens in marriages. It happens in churches too. Maybe we need to celebrate the past this summer and have a big 25th Anniversary service where we do a re installation service. It could be like a renewal of vows. Let's invite the preacher in (ABCCONN) and do it again. Then again, maybe we don't need to do that. We don't have to do it formally but we do need to do it informally as we make that recommitment to continue to work together for the good of God's kingdom.

The truth is that whether it is in a marriage, a church relationship or a personal relationship with our Lord, it is important to continually renew your commitment to one another. We can't take each other for granted. We must remain committed to sharing the love and the grace that is part of that relationship. Too often we let our relationship to God slide when we get busy. We stop going to worship. We forget to pause and pray. We begin falling into bad habits. Before you know it we have grown apart.

Someone asked me why so many marriages fail. I told them because we stop dating and stat taking each other for granted. The same is true with God. We need to keep that spark of love and faith alive by rekindling it every day. That's the only way it will last an eternity.

So if you and God have drifted recently. Maybe it's time to renew your vows. He's waiting. It's up to you.

cal

Happy Valentine's Day

EARLY VALENTINE

A friend sent an early "Valentine" this Feb. 14th.

For God so loVed the world,

That He GAve

His on Ly

BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."

John 3:16

Good morning

When I say good morning I mean to say:

G-od
O-ffers us His
O-utstanding
D-evotion to

M-ake us
O-bedient and
R-eady for a
N-ew day with Him.
I-nspire others please, and
N-ever forget
G-od loves you!

The truth will set you free

I finally went to see the movie Avatar yesterday. It was a very good movie, much better than I expected from the previews. I may write about the actual movie later. Today I want to talk about the $2.50 surcharge for the movie because it was in 3-D. What is that about? When I first got the special glasses I thought it was because the quality of the glasses was so much better than they were in previous generations. There were a hard plastic. They didn't rip like the old ones. I could see why there might be an extra expense but what if you saw the movie more than once. could you get the $2.50 waived if you showed your glasses?

I was thinking about this when I approached the theater and saw the bin calling for you to return your glasses after the movie. I couldn't believe it. I had made up a rationale for the additional cost and that bin sent my reasoning right out the window. Why the extra cost if you were supposed to give the glasses back? It just didn't make sense.

I know I shouldn't say this, but I kept my glasses after the movie just so I could get my $2.50 worth. Even though they may not let me use them or give me a discount the next time I see a 3-D movie in the theater., I will now have a pair to wear at home when I rent the movie on DVD. Am I a bad person? Well that is also the subject of another day.

What I really want to talk about is the way our brain makes sense of the world. Have you ever noticed that when there is a question in your life, it needs to be answered? We are always quick to come up with some explanation. Most of us even make something up if we need to. I'll give you an example. When I was in seminary my professor told us of a former student who came to him with a question.

The new pastor had gone to his first church and had a disagreement with his Board of Deacons. They wanted him to sit behind the table and serve them as they served the congregation. The student said that he couldn't do that. It was sacrilegious. He told them that the only one who should sit behind the table was Jesus. He preferred serving them from the front of the table. That was his role as a follower of Christ.

The Deacons insisted that they had been serving communion this way for as long as they could remember and no former pastor had ever objected. So the pastor went back to his professor to get his opinion. (He really went to him to exonerate himself by getting the theological position he could bring back and support his position with. )

The professor listened to him and asked him how he arrived at this idea. The pastor then told him that he learned it at seminary. They always put Jesus in the seat of honor behind the table in the college chapel. The professor asked him who told him that. As the pastor thought about it, he said that he couldn't remember but someone must have told him that.

The professor laughed and then proceeded to tell the young pastor that the reason no one sat behind the communion table in the chapel was because the table was bolted to the wall. There was nothing theological about it at all.

That pastor simply saw a situation and made up a theological rationale for it. As I said before, we do it all the time. We take what we know and apply it to a situation. Our brain fills in the gaps. Most of the time it is harmless. But when it comes to life and death situations, we better know if what we are dealing with is the truth or a mental construct.

That's why it is so important for us as Christians to read and know our Bible. It is our foundation. We need to know what Jesus said. We need to know what was important to him. We need to understand the history of Israel and where Jesus fits into that story. We need to understand sin and what it really is. We need to know why Jesus came and what he died for. We need to know the truth because it will set us free. Jesus said that. I believe it.

Cal