Random Thoughts from RevPhil

My first assignment

2010-08-19T11:24:00.004-05:00

So I've just started working on my Master's Degree at Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, and my first assignment was to define postmodernism in 75-100 words. Here's what I came up with:

Postmodernism (as a way of thinking) is a reaction to modernism and at it's core is the intellectual commitment to categorically reject any and all claims of authoritative, objective or universal truth in favor of each individual interpreting all data for themselves and coming to their own conclusion of what is "true" relative to their own experiences, upbringing, community and preferences. Because "truth" is subject to each individual's decision, all versions of the "truth" are viewed as equally valid, acceptable and beyond critique. In the postmodern world, the only absolute is that nothing is absolute.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time - RevPhil

"Who has the keys?" or "I am my co-pilot"

2009-05-13T20:00:00.002-05:00

Tonight was our last youth Bible study for this school year. We met at Landa Park, played sand volleyball, tossed the pigskin, ate some delicious hot dogs from the grill, and finished up our study on obedience.

We've explored obedience like a map. Check it out:

Some people see a map and feel restricted to only the places the roads take them: "Why isn't there a road directly from San Antonio, TX to Akron, OH? You mean I have to go through Dallas, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Columbus? How restrictive! If it were up to me, I would pave a road straight from where I am to where I want to go! Staying on these roads is a drag!"

Other people see a map and feel liberated by all the places the map can take them: "You mean that by following these roads I'm free to see Dallas, Texarkana, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati and Columbus on the way to Akron? How cool is that! I'll bet there's new, exciting things to see in all those places, and thanks to the roads, I get to explore all of them! If these roads weren't here, I'd be trapped where I am, but now I'm free!"

We made a connection between those attitudes and the different perspectives people have on obedience. Such as:

Some people see obedience as a list of restrictions - someone telling me what I can and can't do and when I can and can't do it. To these people, obedience = rules = not making my own choices = no fun. Looking at it this way, obedience is a prison and the warden is a cruel killjoy, creating a situation where I never get to do the things I would like.

On the other hand, the Bible describes obedience as freedom. If we choose, day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute and decision to decision to live in obedience to God's commands, we experience genuine freedom, and have the chance to realize the fullest extents of what human life on earth can be (see John 10 for more about that).

So, either obedience = rules or obedience = freedom, depending on your perspective. Obviously, the human side of us goes directly to the restrictive opinion, and as we explore our relationship with God (or "shine our spoon" - see a previous blog post about that), our opinion of what obedience is can be transformed as well.

Once we've come close enough to God to see that obeying God brings freedom, then we have to deal with our will. To submit to God (decide to be obedient), we have to put our will aside and pursue His. That is not always easy (almost always not easy, in fact), and is probably the biggest obstacle keeping us from being obedient to God and experiencing the full life that Jesus came to bring us.

I remember seeing the following slogan on a bumper sticker: "Jesus is my co-pilot." I appreciate the idea the person was trying to get across, you know, including Jesus in every area of life and all that, but I disagree with the seating arrangement. Jesus didn't come to earth, live a sinless life for 33 years and die a cruel death on the cross to pay for my sins to sit in the passenger seat and be my co-pilot, just in case I ever need Him. Jesus did all that to be the pilot - to drive - to be the guy with the keys. Maybe a better way to get your point across would be a bumper sticker that says "I am my co-pilot, Jesus has the keys" (I may need to work on that a little...it's more theologically accurate, but doesn't really flow like a bumper sticker should).

So, tonight, at our final Bible study, we reviewed those ideas, and to help these principles stick in the minds of our students and leaders, I gave everyone a blank car key with two things engraved on it. Check it:

This side says "WNL 08-09" (stands for Wednesday Night Live 2008-2009). Wednesday Night Live is the name of our youth Bible study.

This side has "John 14:15" on it. John 14:15 - "If you love me, you will obey what I command." If you really love Jesus, He won't be in the co-pilot seat, in the back seat, in the trunk or surfing on the roof of the car. He'll be driving (making the decisions about where you go and when).

I'm hoping that my students put this blank key on their keyring, put it in their pocket, wear it on a chain around their neck, or find some other way that it can serve as a constant reminder to them about the importance of obedience, and give them the chance to make the good (hard) choice to be obedient - this summer and beyond.

Until next time - RevPhil

Your Mom Does!

2009-05-10T08:14:00.002-05:00

A poem I wrote for the Kids' Moment at First Protestant Church on Mother's Day 2009:

Who changes your diapers and washes your clothes?
Who tucks you in bed, and wipes your runny nose?
Your Mom does!

Who clips the nails on your fingers and toes?
Who tickles your feet and your belly and nose?
Your Mom does!

Who holds you so tight whenever you’re scared?
Who gives you a bath and washes your hair?
Your Mom does!

Who loves hugs and kisses (even when you’re sweaty)?
Who helps you look when you can’t find your Teddy?
Your Mom does!

Who makes the best sandwich (with crust or without)?
Who takes you to Schlitterbahn when it’s 100° out?
Your Mom does!

Who covers the fridge with your elementary school art?
Who helps you ask Jesus into your heart?
Your Mom does!

Who teaches you how to tie up your shoes?
Who takes you to museums, Chuck E. Cheese, and to zoos?
Your Mom does!

Who cries for 3 hours on your first day of school?
Who dives in to save you when you fall in the pool?
Your Mom does!

Who makes you put on sunscreen so you don’t get burned?
Who takes you to school, and then asks what you learned?
Your Mom does!

Who helps with your homework and takes out your splinters?
Who makes you hot chocolate so you’re warm in the winter?
Your Mom does!

Who sits in the bleachers and calls out your name,
At every Little League, soccer and volleyball game?
Your Mom does!

Who knows if you’ll pick sour-apple or grape?
Who gives you a band-aid when you get a scrape?
Your Mom does!

Who makes you soup when don’t feel right?
Who lets you climb in for a cuddle at night?
Your Mom does!

Who pushes you forever on the swings at the park?
Who plugs in your night-light if you’re afraid of the dark?
Your Mom does!

Who covers you with sunscreen and blankets and prayers?
Who loves you and helps you through all of your cares?
Your Mom does!

Who’s your angel from heaven, who shows you the way?
Who deserves all your love, today and always?
Your Mom does!

Happy Mother's Day!

Until next time - RevPhil

"Dad, I want a haircut..."

2009-05-04T20:34:00.008-05:00

And there was much rejoicing!

Anyone who knows me very well knows that I am not a fan of lots of hair - especially on guys. I don't think I have a reason for this, I've just always prefered to have short hair - really short - you know, like so short you can't see it.

Well, our oldest son recently decided that he was tired of having the hairstyle that I have, and started growing his hair out. Ugh. I was not in favor of this process from the beginning, but he is almost 8 years old, so it's probably time that I let go and let him start making a few of his own decisions.

Here's what we ended up with:

I'm going to go ahead and refer to this picture as "before."

When I came home from the office today, he said the words I've been longing to hear: "Dad, I want a haircut."

Along with generally just not liking longer hair, this particular haircut was bothering me because I'm the one who gets him ready for school every morning, so I'm left dealing with his tangled birdnest mess of hair. Every day is a struggle. Getting him to hold his head up while I spray the hair, trying to keep him calm while I comb through the hair - it was a disaster, usually ending in tears (his and mine).

So, needless to say, I was excited at his change of heart. Here's the amount of hair we took off:

The basketball is just to give you an idea of the magnitude of hair that I trimmed off the boy's skull. There's probably more hair on the sidewalk right there than I've ever had on my head - OK, that's an exaggeration, but seriously, that's a boatload of hair.

Here's the final product:

Much better! And just to put your minds at ease, I remind you, this was HIS idea! And he likes the results!

Somedays it's so easy to make your dad proud and happy!

Until next time - RevPhil

Enchanted Rock (brought to you courtesy of the Swine Flu scare)

2009-04-30T22:21:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was a long day.

The kids were home from school. Wife of RevPhil was home from school. It rained. We were in the process of determining what activities were cancelled, how long they would be cancelled for, and spreading the word about those decisions (not always smoothly).

Being inside with your mom all day is only exciting for so long, you know. So needless to say, yesterday had it's share of tension (dad, mom and kids all included).

The prospect of repeating that pattern today was not attractive to me or Wife of RevPhil, so we had a brainstorm: pack up the kids (along with a few books, a rented DVD and their DS's) and take a road trip to Enchanted Rock (for those of you unfamiliar with it, check this link: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/ )

I went there last year with the youth as a warm-up for our spiritual adventure trip to Colorado last summer, and I've been wanting Wife of RevPhil and the kids to experience it, too.

So we all piled into the van and took the 2 hour trek - and we had a great day! The ride was nice (kids were busy with video games and The Velveteen Rabbit on DVD), and the weather was perfect when we got there (sunny, warm but not hot, and with a nice breeze to boot). Wife of RevPhil and the kids were a little surprised at the strenuous nature of the climb, but we all made it to the top and saw some great vistas (and took a few fun pictures).

This one was taken at the beginning of the trail on the way up.

This one was taken near the top as we started back down.

The only question that still remains..."Hey Dad, what are we doin' tomorrow?"

I have no good answer to that.

Until next time - RevPhil

Curse of the Swine

2009-04-29T08:56:00.002-05:00

We're shuttin' it down!

The swine flu outbreak is causing extreme reactions in our area. There have been confirmed cases in neighboring counties, so as a precaution all the schools in our county have closed for the remainder of this week and all of next week.

The health department is recommending that everyone avoids gatherings of 20 or more people to keep the spread of the germs down.

So...

That means no youth Bible study tonight, no nursery, Sunday School, Kids' Connection (junior church), and no Confirmation Recognition service. Everything youth and children related is called off through Sunday, May 3. Decisions on adult services will be made today for this weekend, and further updates will be available here, on facebook and at www.firstprotestant.com

Cue up your favorite movie, pop a bag of corn and get ready for a marathon! Stay in and stay healthy my friends!

I'm cooking up some bacon right now to get my frustrations out.

Until next time - RevPhil

Is "dude" all inclusive?

2009-04-26T18:10:00.003-05:00

"Dad, what's a girl dude?"

My 4-year-old asked me that this afternoon. That got me thinking - I don't think there is one! I really don't like "dudette" - it doesn't roll off the tongue.

Don't take this the wrong way, ladies, but I think that even though the term "dude" is normally applied just to guys, it can apply equally appropriately to both guys and girls. Check out the following examples and see if you agree with my analysis:

1. "Dude, how you doin'?"

2. "I walked in and there was a room full of dudes."

3. "Whoa, that's a DUDE!"

4. "Dudes, what's up?"

5. "Come on, dude, let's go!"

1. Both

2. Guys

3. A guy

4. Both

5. Both

Now, I understand that not everyone sees my favorite word that way, but that's OK. Just don't be offended when I greet you with a heartfelt "Dude, what's shakin'?" (regardless of your gender).

Later. (dudes) - RevPhil

Come Sail Away

2009-04-24T18:52:00.002-05:00

God's will.

One of the most important aspects of the Christian life is the concept of God's will. From an early age, and continually along our journey with Christ, we are reminded that God has a divine plan for our lives - that He has put considerable thought and planning into the smallest part of each of the days we spend on earth.

The sticky wicket in that line of thought is this: each day, each hour, each moment we are faced with decisions such as what we think about, what we say and what we do. The sincere hope of a disciple of Jesus is that in each of those decisions, we can find ourselves living in accord with God's plan for us, God's will for our lives.

For much of my life, I likened that process (albeit unconsciously) to walking a tightrope (no connection to my previous post is intended :). My genuine desire has been to find God's will, and make the decisions necessary to have His will become a reality.

Unfortunately, because I approached God's will that way, I found myself constantly on edge, worrying that any slip or mis-step on my part would cause me to fall out of God's will for whatever period of time it would take me to recover and get back to where God intended for me to be.

Living with that mindset is a stressful experience! You can imagine the intellectual strain you would be under if you had to walk a tightrope everywhere you went! Every step is measured. Even a slight breeze in any direction causes a major adjustment and is a source of worry.

I really don't think that having a personal relationship with a loving, graceful, merciful (I could go on) Savior who has a plan for my life should be such a stressful, joyless experience! That doesn't jive with God's character. He didn't rescue us from the painful, eternal effects of sin in our lives to give us a strained life! He put on humanity and humbled Himself to die on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, so that we could be restored to a right relationship with Him, and spend eternity exploring and enjoying Him with joy and gladness.

So I've changed my approach to God's will. I'm not walking the tightrope anymore.

Here's the way I'm seeing it now. I picture my life as a journey across a lake in a sailboat. God's will is the wind. Sometimes it's strong and directs my boat in a certain direction, sometimes it's gentle and my boat just sits. The water can be calm, and it can be stormy, but the constant is the wind - it's always guiding my boat exactly where it should be.

My role is to keep the sails up, ready for the slightest breeze to lead me - to be sensitive to the direction of wind and not try to steer the boat myself. By doing that, I allow the wind to decide where I go, how fast I get there, and how long I remain there.

And that is a much more joyful and less stressful way to live. God's will leads the journey across the lake, what kinds of water I travel through and as long as I have my trust in the wind, I know I'll be just where He wants me to be, so I can savor each moment, each experience as a gift from my Redeemer, who loves me and has had a plan for me since before I was born.

So - come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with meeeeeeeee...

Until next time - RevPhil

Walkin' on a Wire

2009-04-11T10:12:00.003-05:00

On June 30, 1859, Charles Blondin became the first man to cross Niagara falls by tightrope. A large crowd (between 25,000 and 100,000 depending on which account you read) was there to watch him cross 1,100 feet on a 3 inch wide hemp cord suspended between 160-270 feet above the water.

Over the next year he crossed the falls many more times, each time making the trip more elaborate and exciting. On different trips, he: balanced a chair on the rope, took pictures of the crowd, cooked a meal on a small portable cooker, did flips, was blindfolded, in a sack, on stilts and carrying a man on his back.

As the story goes, on one occasion a large crowd gathered to watch Blondin's amazing antics on the wire. He was playing to the crowd and asked, "Who believes I can cross the wire pushing a wheelbarrow?"

The crowd went bananas! The believed in Blondin! And he did not disappoint - he walked, ran and danced across the wire while pushing an empty wheelbarrow.

Blondin wasn't finished - he asked the crowd, "Who believes I can cross with a full wheelbarrow?"

Once again, the crowd went crazy! The believed he could do it - and he did!

Now, Blondin upped the ante even higher. He asked, "Who believes I can cross with a MAN in the wheelbarrow?"

This got the crowd's attention. They had seen Blondin do amazing things on the wire - and they believed he could amaze them again! The crowd roared their approval - voicing their belief in what Blondin could do on the wire.

He continued, "Who will volunteer to be that man?"

Crickets.

The huge crowd, so frenzied in their support and belief of what Blondin could do just a moment ago, was completely silent.

They didn't really BELIEVE, did they? They sort-of believed in a hypothetical, imaginary way, but when they were asked to put their belief into action, their hiney into the wheelbarrow and their life in Blondin's hands, that hypothetical belief faded.

The point at which our belief becomes genuine is when we are willing to put it into action - when we climb into the wheelbarrow.

Check out James 2:14-16 from The Message:

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup - where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape - that seamless unity of believing and doing - what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

So what's your belief status?

Are you beleiving from the sidelines, cheering the amazing accomplishments of Someone with amazing skills, appreciating His deeds and lifestyle, agreeing with His teachings and principles...

or are you IN the wheelbarrow?

Until next time - RevPhil

Another Brother from my Mother

2009-04-06T06:14:00.001-05:00

If you've ever asked me how many siblings I have, I'm sure that my answer has been that I have one brother, 5 years younger.

Unfortunately, I now believe that I've been answering that question incorrectly for the past 25 years or so.

Slow down, slick - it's not like that. Let me start at the beginning.

I believe that life begins at conception. I believe what Psalm 139 teaches about when life begins - check it out:

Psalm 139:13-16 - For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

I've believed that for a long, long time - as long as I can remember. I've known that from the moment I was conceived, God knew me, God loved me and God had a plan for what my life would be. I've never doubted the truth of that - ever.

Later on, when "Wife of RevPhil" and I started having children of our own, I believed those same precious thoughts about them - that from the very first second of their existence, God was intimately involved with them.

I know what you're thinking: RevPhil, where are you going with this? Hang on, slick, I'm gettin' there!

Back in 1981, when I was 6 years old and my brother was 1, my mom was taken to the hospital because of severe pain in her abdomen. The doctors had several possible ideas about what might have been causing it, but what it came out to was this:

After my brother was born (via C-section), my mom had her tubes tied to prevent future pregnancies. Now, a year later, what happened was that determined little sperm had found his way through the ties and cuts and cauterizations of one of her fallopian tubes and fertilized an egg. This was causing her pain, because that now-fertilized egg was trapped up inside the tied-off end of her fallopian tube, unable to make it into the uterus. At the time it had to be removed, it was the size of a grapefruit.

Let's take a time-out here to remind ourselves what we've just stated about the beginning of life. From the time of conception (a sperm fertilizing an egg), we believe life has begun, and the Bible indicates that God is intricately involved in the formation of that new life.

Translation: I have "another brother from my mother!" (or sister) In fact, I've thought of this little one before, and always sort of considered it to be the little sister I never knew. I've had conversations with my dad about it, and he thinks of it the same way - he looks forward to meeting his "other kid" when he gets to heaven.

But I've never answered the "how many siblings do you have?" question with this in mind.

Why not? There's no doubt in my mind that life begins at conception, which means that I've been leaving this life out of my conscious thoughts, conversation and behavior.

I suppose it might be that it's just plain easier to not get into it. At the stage of a relationship when the answer to this question is typically exchanged, this might be a deep subject to breach. But, truthfully, I've never deliberately thought about it until recently. I've never known anyone who has answered that question this way.

It's time for my answer to the sibling question ro reflect my heartfelt conviction about when life begins. I'm not going to (consciously or unconsciously) deny the existence of one of my family members anymore. And who knows but that because of my sincere answer, God may open an opportunity for me to share about His definition of when life begins. That might make someone I've just met a little uncomfortable, or think of me as a whack-job, but I don't really care - been there, done that, got the t-shirt.

So - how many siblings do I have? Two - I have one brother who's 5 years younger and another sibling 6 years younger that never made it out of the womb - and I'm as excited to meet him or her as can be.

Until next time - RevPhil

Is your piggy bank full?

2009-04-04T08:55:00.002-05:00

In each of our relationships, we have something like a "trust bank" for the other person. The more we trust them, the more they have "in the bank."

When someone keeps a promise to us, we make a deposit in their "trust bank."
When someone helps us out of a difficult situation, we make a deposit.
When we have a need, and someone fills it, we make a deposit.

On the other hand,
When we're betrayed, a withdrawal is made from the betrayer's "trust bank."
When we realize that we've been lied to, a withdrawal is made.
When we need help and someone isn't there for us, a withdrawal is made.

You may have never thought about it in these terms, but I think you know what I'm getting at here. Our experiences with people either build trust or destroy trust, laying the foundation for how our relationship will be in the future. The more trust we have in a person's account, the more likely we are to rely on them, to put our safety or our feelings in their hands.

Hopefully, the people we love the most are also the people we trust the most - the ones we know we can trust, know we can count on, know we can believe in - and we have that level of trust in them because we have evidence that they have proven themselves trustworthy in the past.

Just like we keep list of accounts on the people we have relationships with, each of us keeps a "faith account" on God as well.

When we see a promise that God made come through, our account on God grows.
When we see God's hand at work in our life or in our family, our account on God grows.
When we understand some new aspect of God's character, our account on God grows.

On the other hand,
When we're in the middle of a difficulty and have a hard time seeing God, our "faith account" on God shrinks.
When we don't understand where God is taking us / the plan He is working out in our lives, our account diminishes.
When we can't see God's goodness because of some circumstance in front of us, our account on God goes down.

Because our relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives, it's important for us to find strategic and creative ways to keep our account on God going and growing strong each day. There's a couple of things we can do to accomplish that:

1. Remember the promises God has kept

People in the Old Testament had an interesting way of remembering when and where they saw God keep a promise to them.

We're all familiar with the story about Moses parting the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to escape Egypt on dry land. What you may not remember is that God repeated that miracle 40 years later with the Jordan River. After Moses died, Joshua was leading the people into the Promised Land, and the Ark of the Covenant was leading them. As the priests carrying the Ark put their feet into the Jordan, the waters parted and the people walked across. It was an amazing experience of God showing His strength and power to His people. Here's what happened next:

Joshua 4:1-9 – When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Now, this same thing happened lots of times – whenever people had an experience with God that reminded them of God’s strength, power, faithfulness, or forgiveness, they would build an altar at that place – they would grab a bunch of stones and stack them up as a monument to God’s character and every time they saw that altar, it would remind them that God loved them and that God kept His promise to them. When their children saw those altars, they would tell them about when it was built and how God showed his love and care and faithfulness to them.

If we're going to keep our "faith bank" on God filled up, we have to take the same approach! I’m not really suggesting that we go around building piles of rocks, although if you can do that, great! But I think we can accomplish the same thing without the rocks.

We can commemorate the times that we see God’s promises in action by marking the occasion:

We can keep a journal of answered prayers – reminding ourselves that God listens and answers the sincere prayers of His people.
We could draw a picture or write a poem about the experience, then every time we see it or read it, we remember how God proved Himself.
When we read a promise that God has kept in our life, we can simply circle it in our Bible and write the date.
We could put a sticker on the bathroom mirror, sort of like the buckeye leaf stickers the team manager puts on an Ohio State football helmet after a big play.
It might be something simple like circling the date or putting a star on our calendar – or putting it into the calendar application on our cell phone.

You may not like any of those ideas, and that's OK - the truth is that it doesn’t matter what we do – the point is that we create a way that helps us remember that God always keeps His promises – something we can look at and see that our faith in God is safe – that we can rely on Him and put our lives in His hands.

It’s important for us to do that because there will come a time when you need that reminder. Something will happen that makes you wonder if God has forgotten you – or even worse, that He has left you or forsaken you.

In that moment, we need an altar to remind us that God keeps His promises, that He loves us, that He has our best in mind, and that He’s always there to help us and care for us.

We keep our “faith account” on God full by remembering that He is good and that He always keeps His promises. And we have to be deliberate about remembering - I used to be able to remember lots of stuff without hardly trying - the older I get, the more strategic and intentional I have to be about remembering. Otherwise, I end up walking back and forth to my car 12 times every time I leave the house.

Knowing and remembering that God keeps His promises is crucial – but along with that, there's another step:

2. We have to know just what God has promised!

The more of God's promises we know, the more opportunities we'll have to see Him prove Himself true and faithful.

If you know that God promises to love you forever, you'll be able to see Him prove Himself true to that promise over and over, day after day.

If you look a little further into God's promises, and remember 9 more, you'll have 10 times the chances to see His character and goodness in your life.

If you learn 99 more promises, you'll multiply your chances to commemorate God's goodness by 100 times!

Here's a few promises to get you started:
Psalm 30:5 - For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 34:19 - A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Isaiah 43:2 - When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Mark 11:24 - Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

John 6:35 - Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 12:46 - I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

John 14:1-2 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

John 14:12 - I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Romans 4:21 - being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

2 Corinthians 12:9 - But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

1 John 2:25 - And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.

Revelation 21:4 - He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Do you have a favorite promise? A favorite story of God's faithfulness and strength in your life? Another great approach to keeping your piggy bank full is hearing the encouraging stories of God's goodness in the lives of others!

So share your stories and let's fill up those banks!

Until next time - RevPhil

Shine your spoon

2009-04-02T08:28:00.004-05:00

What if you couldn’t see the people you love face to face?

What if the only image you could see of them was a distorted reflection like you would see in a spoon or another shiny piece of metal. What would you do?

If you couldn’t see your loved ones face to face, wouldn’t you work as hard a possible, day by day, moment by moment, to get the best possible vision or reflection we could? Wouldn't you be spending hours on end shining that spoon so the reflection improved?

In her book Living Love, author Jill Briscoe says that people in Paul’s day didn’t have glass mirrors. They only had pieces of highly polished bronze or copper. When they looked in it, they saw an imperfect reflection.

Imagine the Apostle Paul carrying a small pocket-sized piece of bronze as a mirror – whenever he looked into it, he saw a poor reflection of himself. Paul probably never really knew what he looked like! No wonder he used this parallel to talk about seeing God.

1 Corinthians 13:12 – Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.

We won’t get a face to face look at God until we finally reach heaven, but we can work on shining our spoon each moment, each day to get a clearer reflection of His person and character.

Would you rather see your loved ones in the fuzzy, distorted reflection in a spoon or in the clear, correct image of a modern mirror?

No question! The mirror! Why? Because you want to memorize every feature of your loved one - you want to know each freckle and dimple and see the way each and every eyelash lays on your loved one's face. Your great love for them gives you an unquenchable desire to learn and know more and more about them.

The same is true in our relationship with God - we can choose to continue to see our Savior through a distorted reflection, or we can shine our spoon, so that each time we look at Him, our view of him becomes clearer and clearer.

So - how are you going to shine your spoon today?

Reading His words, praying and talking to like-minded friend are all wonderful approaches (and the likely responses one would get in a Sunday School class). And they are activities and spiritual disciplines we should all be involved in on a daily basis anyway.

I encourage you to think a little bit deeper - what can you do today to see your Redeemer more clearly today? - how can you get a sharper image of who He is and what He does?

I'd love to hear your shining tricks!

Until next time - RevPhil

25 Random Things

2009-02-02T22:44:00.004-06:00

I posted this on my Facebook a few minutes ago, and just thought I could get an easy post out of it here too :)

1. This kind of note or email chain annoys me greatly - I typically avoid them. I apologize in advance.
2. Whenever I have the choice I drink Diet Coke. Diet Pepsi and Diet Dr. Pepper have a funny aftertaste and regular soda has the consistency of syrup - yuck.
3. I'm terrible at keeping in touch with people. I have good intentions - I exchange emails, phone numbers, addresses, etc., but I frequently fall into the "out of sight, out of mind" thing.
4. I like playing video games - not the shooting / hunting / bombing / bloody kind, though. I started old school back in the 80s with Atari 2600 and today I rock the Nintendo Wii and DS with my kids.
5. I'm a board / card game kind of guy. One of my favorite things to do is invite a few friends over and play euchre, pounce, loaded questions, spades or some other table game.
6. I'm uber-competitive. If I'm doing something, I'd like to do it better than you. And if you happen to do it better than me, I'll practice like mad until I can beat you. It matters not the nature of the game - ping-pong, monopoly, knock-out, laser-quest, whatever. I like to win.
7. I'm an official member of the American Cornhole Association. Get your mind out of the gutter - it's a game played with 1 pound bags of corn and it's fun!
8. I get sunburns. Easy. In order to go outside in the summer I have to either plan ahead and bring my own shade or take a bath in sunscreen to avoid morphing into lobster-man.
9. Vacation = ocean. I grew up spending a lot of vacations at the beach - Myrtle, Ocean City, Clearwater, Rehoboth. I don't really feel like I've been on vacation unless I've been in the ocean. P.S. The Texas coast doesn't count.
10. I'm a complete wuss when it comes to needles. I avoid them whenever possible. I really want to be the kind of person that donates blood, but I just can't bring myself to do it.
11. I read all the Harry Potter books. I started out totally indifferent when Harry and the crew first hit the scene, but I found them to be entertaining once I started reading them.
12. I enjoy order and organization. I like things to be parallel or perpendicular to each other. I arrange the items on my desk and work area to conform to this standard, and I notice immediately when something has been moved.
13. I don't really like cold cuts. Some people get excited about lunchmeat sandwiches and meat trays, etc. No thanks. I'd rather have peanut butter and jelly.
14. I almost always have a runny nose. I'm not sure why this is, and I really don't care to find out (see #10). I'm used to it, I breathe through my mouth when I have to, it's all good.
15. If I'm going somewhere in a car, I prefer to be driving. I stink as a passenger.
16. I don't enjoy doing much of anything that involves me moving without having a lot of control over how fast I'm going and being able to stop when I want to. For example: roller coasters, roller skating, ice skating, skateboarding, skiing, other people driving (see #15), big slides, etc. All not fun.
17. I don't like yard work. (see #8 and #14) Mowing the yard, raking leaves, trimming bushes, planting flowers, weed-wacking, mulching...not interested. The guy across the street's yard and bushes are better than mine? Great!
18. I wish people would stop parking in the street. That's what a garage is for! Stop taking up valuable driving space with your vehicle, please!
19. If I have the choice, I'd rather be cold than hot. You can always add layers (and I like wearing long sleeves), and after a while, there aren't any more layers to take off and you're still hot. I miss being cold. Whenever someone tells me they're cold, I say, "enjoy it while you can!"
20. I don't like having things in my pockets. When I have to, I always put my wallet in my back left, my keys in my front left and my phone / change in my front right, but I'd rather have everything in my backpack and empty pockets.
21. I like playing and watching most sports. Favorites to play: basketball, football, soccer, ping-pong, softball. Favorites to watch: football, basketball, olympics, UFC, NASCAR. Notice that hockey does not appear on either list - not even remotely interested.
22. I change my facial hair pattern a lot. Sometimes I go with a full beard, sometimes goatee with mustache, sometimes without mustache, sometimes sideburns, sometimes not. The only constant is that I almost always have hair on my chin. I'm not sure why - that part just always manages to stay.
23. I'm still getting used to my new glasses. I bought them knowing that I didn't like them as much as my old ones, but acknowledging that I would regret getting a new pair that looked just like my old pair.
24. I don't like cake. Cake is just an excuse to eat icing. Whenever I see people eating the cake and leaving the icing, I want to shake them and say, "come on dude!"
25. I have an amazing family. My wife loves me and works hard to make our home nice and keep it running smoothly and my kids are the bomb. They're healthy and smart and they listen (most of the time). I never really spent much time thinking about what my family would be like, but what I lucked into is leaps and bounds beyond any expectations I could have imagined.
OK, done! Now I guess it's your turn!
Until next time - RevPhil

100-0

2009-01-26T18:59:00.003-06:00

OK - so it's been a while...I've been following a story for the past few days and couldn't help commenting. Courtesy of my brother, here's the link to the first part of the story:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=50399786490&h=pzquS&u=aDhIb

My initial reaction was disgust. How a coach can allow and even encourage such a lopsided victory over a clearly inferior opponent is beyond me. I've been playing, watching and coaching various sports for my whole life, and I've never come across something even remotely like this.

Anyone who's played basketball before knows that the concept of a shutout in sanctioned competition is unheard of - let alone to do it while scoring 100 points. What satisfaction can there possibly be in beating a team so grossly?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of those guys who's in favor of not keeping the score, of calling everyone a winner, etc. Growing up playing sports, I learned a lot from winning and losing, and I want my children to learn the same lessons.

Having said that, what benefit is there in winning by such a wide margin? I don't understand.

And the story doesn't end there! Here's chapter 2:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=50399786490&h=pzquS&u=aDhIb

And chapter 3:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012409dnspoacademy.4194876.html

And chapter 4

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012609dnsptcoach.16be742.html

And then today:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/012609dnspocovenantnu.2781526.html

So much going on here. I'm curious about your thoughts. Am I way off base here? I completely agree with the decision to fire the coach. First, because he clearly is not the kind of person I would want coaching my child. Secondly, if you fire off an email to the newspaper directly disagreeing with your employer, losing your job is pretty much a given.

I can't say I agree with all the attention and gifts and interviews, etc. that are being showered on the losing team, either, though. Losing by 100 points is pitiful. Going through an entire basketball game and only getting 7 shots to the rim is sad. Not scoring even a free throw at some point is unbelievable. I'm thinking that the losing coach probably needs to lose his job, too. If you're not able to get anywhere near what could be considered competitive, it's time to think about a change.

OK, I'm officially losing momentum.

Until next time - RevPhil

Black Friday

2008-11-28T20:31:00.003-06:00

Today I did something new.

For the first time in my life, I went to the store on "Black Friday" - the day after Thanksgiving, and the unofficial first day of the Christmas shopping season.

I must say that at the location I visited (which shall remain a mystery), it was not as bad as I thought it might be.

I visited the store on Wednesday night, prepared to buy my stuff and be done with it. After talking through my potential purchase with the clerk, though, I realized that I could probably save around $75 by waiting 36 hours and showing up today. After a short period of consideration, I decided that $75 was worth some trouble, and I promised the clerk I would be back at opening time on Friday (in return, he held my items back with my name on them).

The store was scheduled to open at 6:00am. I was in bed by 10:30pm, with my alarm set for 5:00am. I have to say that I could have slept better...the excitement / stress of what I was about to experience was too much. In the few moments of sleep that I did get, I dreamt about what would happen when I arrived at the store - so lame.

So anyways, the alarm goes off at 5:00am, I quickly brush the teeth, throw on some game pants and a hat and I'm out the door. I go by Wal-Mart on the way to my store, and I've never seen so many cars crammed in the parking lot - needless to say, at this point, I'm tickled that I'm not visiting Wally.

I arrived at the store at 5:15am and found about a dozen other folks waiting outside the doors. It was very friendly! We were all talking about which items we were there for, how much they were asking at other stores, what else our kids had asked for for Christmas, etc. Everyone was cheerful and nice. The manager came out of the store several times to see what the different folks were waiting for, and had everything lined up. Here's how nice it was: one of the ladies took Starbucks orders and went to satisfy everyone's caffeine fix in exchange for the rest of us holding her place in line.

The doors finally opened, we got in and then it got a little hairy as two clerks attempted to satisfy all of our buying - it took what seemed like forever. But, once again, everyone was friendly and kind and we all got the items we came for and left without any hurt feelings or bruises.

In the course of talking to the other folks at the store, though, I did hear of a couple nightmarish incidents on this Black Friday:

1. According to the report I heard, there were so many people that the outlet centers in San Marcos that people were parking across the expressway because there was nothing available, then trying to run their items back across to their cars. Bad idea all the way around - playing chicken on I-35 and walking a half mile in the dark with hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise...ugh.

2. One person at Wal-Mart was knocked down and had his gaming system swiped by three burly dudes with a video game addiction...not nice.

3. An older lady at Wal-Mart had the item of her choice. A younger lady came up and asked to look at what she had. She handed it over, and the younger lady took off running with the item...flat out mean!

Black Friday at its best and worst, I guess.

After my experiences this morning, pleasant as it was (for me), I don't plan on taking part in this cultural phenomenon again.

I suppose one could consider the state of society at a moment like this - our need to consume and consume at the expense of everyone and everything else. I'm not going to go there. I've lamented that and allowed Christmas to be diminished for me for a long time.

I'm getting to the place where I really think that Christmas (in America) is more of a cultural phenomenon than a spiritual celebration. I'm over the fight for saying "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." I'm going to say "Merry Christmas" and "God bless you" and if that bothers someone I guess I'll deal with that when it happens. I'm not going to yell at anyone because they don't.

I'm going to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and commemorate the wonderful truth that He came down from heaven to give His life as a ransom for many and to take away the sins of the world. I'm going to teach my children about that, and encourage them to remember and celebrate those beautiful realities throughout their lives.

I'm also going to spend way too much money, buy them too many presents and take cute pictures of the surprised, smiling looks on their faces when they open them.

OK - I've officially digressed into rambling. Feel free to post your thoughts, concerns and comments!

Until next time - RevPhil

To vote or not to vote...

2008-11-03T23:22:00.003-06:00

Maybe you've had an experience like this:

You and a group of friends are ready to go out, and you're trying to decide where to eat. It can be a difficult thing to decide - some people don't eat certain foods or don't like certain types of restaurants, others feel like eating something specific, and some have a list of a few places that they're in favor of.

As that process begins to work itself out, there's almost always at least one person who refuses to take part in the decision-making process. They'll usually say something like, "I don't care where we go, I'm just happy to be with you guys." or "Whatever you decide is fine."

That frustrates me to no end. Why not participate? What's the problem? You're here - you're part of the group - do your part and help us make this decision! You're going to eat when we get where we're going, why not share your thoughts and ideas about where to go? Who knows? Your idea might trigger something in someone else - you might have a suggestion that no one else thinks of that would make our outing amazing! Or your suggestion might be lame and we'll move on to something else. But that's not the point.

I don't see the virtue of sitting this one out. It seems a little like a cop out. Don't get me wrong - it doesn't make you a bad person (or a bad Christian) or anything like that, but why not participate in the process? No one's guaranteeing that we're going to do what you suggest, but what harm is there in helping the group decide?

The way I see it is that your input could impact the group for the better - what you say could be exactly what it takes for our night to be wonderful, and that would be good. If you don't give your two cents, we'll probably all be OK and have a good time, but we'll miss out on what might have been a good idea from you.

What benefit is there from you sitting out? Is there a benefit here? I don't see it.

That scenario mirrors my thoughts on the upcoming election tomorrow. The most high-profile thing on the ballot tomorrow is obviously the Presidential election, but there are a lot of other offices up for grabs and issues all over that we, the citizens of this country (and our local communities) have the opportunity to have a voice in.

Why not take advantage of that opportunity and participate in decision making process? How does sitting this one out benefit the community at large?

Is your vote going to be the one that makes the difference one way or the other? Maybe, but probably not. We all know the schtick about the value of a vote, etc. I'm not going there.

The bottom line for me is this: I can't see the value you add to the community / city / country by abstaining from the vote.

Is it wrong to not vote? Probably not. Is it a sin? No. Does it make you a bad person? Negative. A bad Christian? I don't think so. Does it harm the community / city / country? I doubt it.

But...does not voting make you a better person? No. A better Christian? No. Does it make you a better citizen? Uh-uh. Is there any benefit to the community / city / country? No.

As a disciple of Jesus in the community / city / country I live in, I'm called to love and serve others in His name and do what he would do if He were in my place.

For me, I think that means participating in the community / city / country and prayerfully taking the opportunity the God-given government gives me to voice my viewpoints and cast my vote. Is that the end of my responsibilities? No way! But I think it's part of it.

So I encourage you to make your way to the polls tomorrow - pray for guidance and cast your vote in accordance with what you believe is right.

My two cents...until next time - RevPhil

Mini Sabbatical

2008-10-27T19:11:00.003-05:00

Well...

Remember me? It's been a while, and I'm not sure why...for some reason I just haven't felt like blogging lately - I can't really explain it.

I've been busy - I know, I know, that's lame - but it's accurate. Ever since school started and everybody went back to school, my schedule has been thrown into chaos. I'm not finding a happy place yet.

I have new responsibilities at work. When the first school director transition happened, my involvement at the school expanded a lot - that is to say that I was very rarely involved before and now there are several things I'm doing to minister to the kids, families and employees there - and I think that's a good thing! I'm just not finding a happy place yet there, either.

I've got a "FOR SALE" sign in my Mustang, and an ad on Craig's List. This is bummin' me out. Don't get me wrong - no one forced me to put it there. I'm just driving so much - taking kids to school, picking kids up from school, dropping off papers at the school, going to and from work, etc., that gas mileage and car wear and tear are beginning to concern me a little. I've dropped some major coin into the Mustang in the past 16 months, and I'm a little gunshy about how much the next repair may be. All that's the practical talk - now the sentimental / emotional stuff: my Dad gave the car to me. He and I have been talking about / looking at / admiring / drooling over Mustangs for as long as I can remember. I remember when he was shopping for it - looking through ads together, listening to him haggle with guys on different cars, dreaming about driving together. Ugh - the thought of someone else driving my Mustang is not favorable.

Along with all of that, I haven't really felt like I've had much to say. SHOCKER! I'm not usually the one at a loss for words, but recently the thought of putting words out there has not been exciting me.

OK. Now - about this mini-sabbatical thing. This week I'm on what First Protestant Church refers to as "study leave" or a "reading week." It's two weeks a year to plan, read, reflect, refresh in a vocational type way. I'm hoping it does the trick for me. Here's what I hope to accomplish this week:

1. Planning
I'm going to do some planning / studying / plotting for WNL (youth Bible study), FOCUS weekend, FPS chapel and Kids' Connection, along with other FPC-related projects.

2. Reading
I like to read fiction. My favorite author is Ted Dekker (dude - he's killer) and he has a few books out I haven't read yet. I'm hoping this gives me some refreshment / relaxation.

3 Lunches
I'm going to have lunch with each of my kids this week. Elijah on Tuesday, Phillip on Wednesday and Katy on Friday (I had lunch with Anna a couple weeks ago for those of you who were wondering :). On Thursday I have a tentative appointment with a friend I haven't seen since high school who lives with his wife in Austin.

4. Geo-caching
I really like doing this, but I don't ever make the time. Maybe this week I can squeeze in a few caches and put the traveling bugs I've had for the past 4 months back in play.

5. Nap
I'm usually on a 1 nap a week schedule, and I've been missing it for the past few weeks. I'm not looking to catch up, but the prospect of a possible nap one afternoon this week is wondrous.

6. Blog
I've gotten more than one comment from people who are upset with my lack of recent blog-itude. Maybe with the break this week should provide, I can climb back in the saddle.

7. Wii
I have a couple of Wii games that I haven't even tried. It'd be nice to spend an hour or two here or there vegging out.

That's about it! Here's hoping that me and my happy place can get re-acqainted!

Until next time (sooner than later) - RevPhil

Body Matters

2008-09-23T22:17:00.004-05:00

Paul introduces an interesting topic in Romans 6. He's discussing the concept that because Jesus paid for the penalty of our sins on the cross, we are now dead to sin, and because He rose again, we are alive in Christ.

Then in 6:12, comes this thought: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

What that means is that our body matters. God is interested that once we become one with Christ, that we don't continue to allow sin to own our bodies. When Jesus poured out His blood to purchase our forgiveness, He gave us the opportunities to put our physical selves in the position to impact the world for the sake of righteousness.

Check out 6:13: Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

I love the picture that paints for us. We have a choice to make:

1. We can offer our bodies to God, for Him to use as "instruments of righteousness." We can be the instrument that God uses to implement righteousness on our family, friends and workplace! Wow!

Like an artist uses a pencil, God uses people to write righteousness on the fabric of the world. And we can be that pencil, channeling God's power, wisdom, strength and resources on the people and circumstances around us - our world can be blessed by God through our bodies, if we choose to make ourselves available for His holy purposes.

On the other hand...

2. We can choose to make our bodies available to sin. Even after we've been purchased by Jesus for heaven's sake, sin can continue to wreak havoc in the world around us, through our own body.

Because of our choices, we can allow wickedness to impact our families, our friends, our church, our community - through our physical selves! Ouch.

The choice is obvious! None of us wants to intentionally put our sphere of influence in danger of being impacted by the power of sin and wickedness! Many times, though, that's exactly what we allow to happen by our poor choices.

We must make a definitive decision to give our bodies to Christ, and allow God to begin writing righteousness on our loved ones through us. And, in truth, this is a daily decision, an act of submission to God's will and God's way in our heart, soul, mind and body.

The truth is this: your life is going to serve a purpose. Your life will either write God's joy and fulfillment and blessing on the world around you, or because of your actions, pain, strife and stress will inhabit your world.

It all depends on who you allow to write with your life.

Romans 6:22-23 - But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Until next time - RevPhil

What's in a word?

2008-09-18T11:11:00.009-05:00

I'm going to confess that I borrowed this topic from a friend's blog. I was surfing around yesterday and happened to read his thoughts, and as I began to respond and comment, I realized that my comment was going to be longer than his original post...whoa! You can read his original post here: http://glimpseintotheabyss.blogspot.com/

As you can see, his topic was on our words - why some words are "bad" and others "good." My random thoughts follow:

Wow - what a topic - one that I've been trying to deal with ever since I moved to Texas. It's my observation that many Texans have potty-mouths, and when I got here and started interacting with people, I was surprised to see just how many people used such language so often.

Here's my deal: I understand what you're saying - they're just words - a string of letters hung together - innocent. And some people are offended by them. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in holding back when you know someone's offended, but do you have to offend them first to know that in the future you should use other (less controversial) words of surprise / frustration / excitement?

Would you allow your children to use these words at home? at school? Probably not - "stupid" and "shut-up" are bad words at our house!

So why do we rationalize our own use of these words? Didn't Jesus tell us that our words reveal what is in our heart? (see Matthew 12 for the whole story)

That makes me wonder what is inside of us (me) that drives us (me) to say things that I would punish my children for saying.

If we can adequately express ourselves in ways that reveal the good that God is planting in our heart and life, why do we feel the need to use these controversial words "when we can" (when we're in the company of others who won't be offended by them).

Being a son, I think about it this way: could I use those words when talking to my mom? Would it sound strange if I wished her a happy G*dd*mn birthday?

Being a husband, I think about it this way: could I use those words in a conversation with my wife? Would it sound strange if I asked her to wash the f*cking dishes?

Being a parent, I think about it this way: could I use those words when talking to my children? Would it sound strange if I were coaching my daughter's soccer team and told them to get after the d*mn ball?

Being an employee, I think about it this way: could I use those words when talking to my boss? Would it sound strange if I told him I had too much sh*t to do and he needed to hire some more f*cking help?

Being a pastor, I think about it this way: could I use those words in the pulpit? Would it sound strange if I were giving an illustration and non-chalantly included the word sh*t?

If I shouldn't use these words as a son, husband, parent, employee or pastor, should I try to find other places where I can? Why?

If it's possible that something I do could be offensive (and potentially become a stumbling block to someone else trying to live as a disciple of Jesus), I shouldn't do it. Even if I'm entitled to.

Paul dealt with this concept in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8. The issue at hand back then was eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, but I think we can make the connection to our words.

So...that's my thoughts...

Yours?

Until next time - RevPhil

Give us a king!

2008-09-06T22:18:00.002-05:00

In 1 Samuel 8, the children of Israel came to Samuel and asked for a king. They were tired of being different from the nations around them, in that God was their king, and not a man. They wanted to be like everyone else and have a human as their leader.

God, though He was the one being rejected as by the people, instructed Samuel to give the people what they said they wanted and to give them the following warning about how a man would reign over them as king:

Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." - 1 Samuel 8:10-20

You know how that worked out...over the next generations, the kings of Israel (and Judah) did all the things that God warned the people they would - and more! They became murderers, adulterers, idolaters, liars, thieves and led the people into all sorts of terrible things.

Obviously, they would have been much better off to rely solely on God and his leadership and resources. (Duh!)

Where am I going with this, you ask? Election season in our country always reminds me of this situation from Israel's history. We spend so much time and energy (and prayers?) considering who we want to lead our country. We think about it, we read about it, we watch and listen to what others think, etc., etc. Ugh.

This may sound cynical, but at the end of this campaign, we'll have chosen someone to take our sons and daughters and put them into their service, take a bite out of our paycheck and use it at their discretion.

If I could, I would go back in history and tell those people what a huge mistake they were about to make! How great would it be to live in a country with God as your king? I ask you! But, alas, we live in a time and place where there's a choice to be made regarding who will lead us over the next four years.

So, who to choose? Here's my two cents, and the priorities I use when doing my civic duty and casting my ballot on election day:

1. Life
In my opinion, the most important thing I want to know about my leaders is that they will value and protect life at all cost. I need to have confidence that my leaders will stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves - the unimportant, the insignificant, the weak.

To me, this reflects Jesus more than anything. Throughout the biographies of his life, you find Jesus protecting and interacting with people who were overlooked by everyone else - children, lepers, the handicapped, the ill. These were the unimportant people, but not in his eyes. He spent valuable time talking with them, praying for them, healing them and teaching them.

I refuse to vote for someone to whom this attitude is unimportant or "above my pay-grade" to decide.

That thought alone generally makes my decision for me. If I need to go further;

2. Less is more.
I want the government to affect my life as little as possible. I want to keep as much of the money I earn in my bank account rather than Uncle Sam's and I don't want to be dealing with restrictions and bureaucracy every time I turn around.

I realize that a certain amount of that is necessary to protect us from our enemies and to care for those less fortunate, but we're in a situation where the government can get out of control. I want less.

I guess that's it, really. Nothing too complicated! I suppose there's not much question about where my vote will go at this point...

Thoughts? What are your issues / ideas?

Until next time - RevPhil

I feel a little bad...

2008-08-30T21:59:00.002-05:00

...very, very little, that is.

It might not be a very nice feelling, but I couldn't be happier that Michigan lost their season opener AGAIN - that Michigan lost their home opener AGAIN - to a non-BCS school AGAIN - that any National Championship talk is OVER in Ann Arbor AGAIN!!! Woo!

Earlier, Wife of RevPhil asked me, "don't you feel bad for that new coach?"

Are you kidding? I feel as bad for those lovely folks up north as they surely did for us after the past two National Championship games - not much.

And now, West Virginia fans can celebrate, too!

Until next time - RevPhil

I've been

2008-08-30T09:59:00.002-05:00

typing weird strings of letters for about the past hour.

I finally gave in and signed up for facebook...

So after I got all my interests / activities / favorite music / books / movies, shoe size, hat size, car tire size, toothpaste, etc., I started searching around for people I might know and requesting their online friendship (based on the principle that I already have an actual friendship with them, I guess).

And - now I'm finally getting to the point - for every new friend request you have to type two squiggly words to confirm that you're not some sort of facebook hacking alien computer that's secretly plotting the overthrow of facebook by requesting everyone as a friend.

Whatever.

enormously e
spiltaken laverty
refuse effervesence
sparkle toes

So hit me up! And have fun with the squigglies!

Until next time - RevPhil

Pot Luck

2008-08-17T16:42:00.003-05:00

So. Here I am again. You may have thought I disappeared or discontinued my blogging habit.

Fear not!

Here are a few "random thoughts" I've had brewing in my percolator lately:

1. Watching the entire olympic women's marathon is not "must see TV." I want a refund. Show me something with a little action, please! I'll even watch archery or trampoline or rowing! If any NBC execs are reading...pretty please don't make us watch the men's, too!

2. Michael Phelps has definitely been THE story for the first half of these olympics. I started wondering what the hype was like when Mark Spitz got 7 golds in 1972. I heard today that it was hype (as much hype as there was or could be in 1972 that is). I also wonder what Phelps will do with his celebrity / notoriety. I've heard words/phrases like destiny, fate, God made him for this, etc. I hope that in 10 years we'll be able to look back and say that winning 8 gold medals was good for him.

3. What in the world was Green Bay thinking? I don't think anyone really believes that they're a better football team without Brett Favre. I understand that it's annoying to have him retire and then un-retire, but please. He led them to a 13-3 record and one pass away from the Super Bowl LAST YEAR! You can't tell me they really think that Aaron Rodgers (as good as he may be) can surpass that in his first year as a starter.

4. I'm ready to get back to full-time ministry to children and youth! Over the past two summers, I've been filling the FPC pulpit while the other Revs have had sabbaticals. That's great and all, and I appreciate the chance to preach and grow in that area of ministry, but I'm SO looking forward to getting back to working with people under 20. You really have no idea.

5. I think I need to improve in the area of my attitude when I'm frustrated / disgusted. I'm beginning to be concerned that I let those emotions show too much / too easily. I'm going to be experimenting with being positive despite frustrating / ridiculous circumstances. I'll keep you posted.

6. I'm enjoying reading / digesting my friends' thoughts in their blogs! Keep 'em coming!

Until next time - RevPhil

You've got to be kidding me!

2008-08-10T18:16:00.002-05:00

OK, so I feel like I've been pretty clear about the fact that we are kookoo for the Olympics. And to be honest, the Opening Ceremony is never really something that I look forward to, or even remember much from.

Until now.

Everything about the Opening Ceremony was stinkin' amazing! The humongous LCD screen, the hundreds of people under the moving boxes, the drums, the tai chi people in perfect circles, the bird's nest, the torch lighting...shall I go on?

I will officially remember the Beijing 2008 Opening Ceremony. Kudos to those who dreamt up something that took the world's breath away.

Until next time - RevPhil

Cornhole - it's not what you think

2008-08-10T17:51:00.003-05:00

I experienced a new game while I was visiting my family back in Ohio - Cornhole.

I know what you're thinking...that's a name for something else!

But wait! Don't reject based on the name alone! It really is fun!

It basically consists of two 2'x4' sheets of plywood with a 6" hole cut in and 8 "corn bags." (A corn bag is a bean bag with un-popped popcorn instead of beans). Teams stand by their boards and alternate tossing the bag toward the hole. A bag in the hole nets 3 points, and a bag that lands on the board scores 1 point. An interesting twist is that opposing bags cancel each other out - for instance, if both teams put one bag in the hole, neither team gets points.

Games are played to 21 - and it's so much fun!

As soon as I got home, I got busy building my own cornhole boards, and as soon as I get my bags, I'm excited to introduce the game of Cornhole to Texas. I even decorated my boards like a real Texan would:

You can check out the official rules, etc at www.playcornhole.org, the website home of the American Cornhole Association.

I'm looking forward to playing!

Until next time - RevPhil

A Change in Honoring

2008-08-10T17:15:00.002-05:00

So I've been thinking about something lately - since my visit to my folks house.

8 times in the Bible (according to www.biblegateway.com), we are reminded that a principle of the Kingdom is to "honor your father and mother."

I always assumed that I knew what that meant - and I think I did. As a kid, honoring your father and mother has to do with obedience, respect and conducting yourself in such a way that brings your family good thoughts and good things. With children, I think that obedience is the primary way to accomplish this. In fact, twice in the New Testament, Paul flat out states "children, obey your parents."

When I was back home a couple of weeks ago, however, my thoughts about honoring my father and mother (as an adult) began to shift a little. I think at this stage in my life, honoring my father and mother has less to do with obedience and more with finding tangible, meaningful ways to show them that I love and respect them (along with continuing to conduct myself appropriately).

With this new idea in mind, I find myself looking for ways to be intentional about honoring. I saw that my dad had started a couple of projects around the house, so I offered to help out. We ended up spending about 10-12 hours over the few days we were there (and I have the poison ivy to prove it).

I'm looking forward to experiencing and exploring my new approach. Let me know what you think.

Until next time - RevPhil

To do or not to do...

2008-07-25T08:22:00.002-05:00

As you may know, "Wife of RevPhil" has been looking for a teaching job for the past few months. She's made phone calls, sent letters and emails, visited, talked, interviewed, checked employment websites, etc. every day since April, and up to this point, has had no luck.

Well, a couple of days ago, she interviewed for a middle school special education position in the school district our kids will go to. Middle school is not her preferred area (she likes working with the youngest kids), but the schedule and drive fit into what we already do. Additionally, this would be getting her foot in the door in our home district, bringing up the possibility of a transfer to a position she may like better next year. She felt great about the interview, and the principal sounded very positive, even going to the point of talking about salary, etc., but he stopped short of coming right out and saying that she had the job.

Last night, another school called about a pre-school position in another district. She would enjoy preschool more than middle school, but this district has a different vacation schedule and would involve a longer drive to work each day. This interview went very well too, and the principal "extended an invitation for her to join the team" (she was offered the job right then).

So.

Now we have a situation, don't we? We've been freaking out (that's not an exaggeration) every day (and I do mean every day), sometimes to the point of tears (for her, not me) about this whole job thing for her.

A decision now has to be made. Two apparent job offers:

One has the schedule and proximity she was hoping for (and pays a little better), but is not exactly the area she wanted.

The other is the area she enjoys most, but presents issues regarding schedule and driving time (and the pay is a little less).

The question she has to wrestle with now is: what am I CALLED to do? Both of these positions are do-able and she is more than qualified to handle either very capably.

Things have taken a distinctly spiritual / philosophical turn! God has provided a crossroads, both of which are positive, and would fill a need for our family.

What to do? What to do?

Until next time - RevPhil

Geo-caching

2008-07-23T20:24:00.003-05:00

I've spent a good bit of time the last couple of days geo-caching, and several of my loyal readers have asked about what it is, how it works, etc. So here goes:

Geo-caching is an online / live action scavenger hunt using a handheld GPS unit. Anyone can do it, and it can be very easy or very challenging, based on the participants. It gets us outdoors, it something we can do as a family, and uses a fun piece of technology - something for everyone.

Users can log on to the official website (http://www.geocaching.com/) and search for caches by address, zipcode, or latitude / longitude coordinates. For instance, when we arrived at Grandma Mary's on Monday, I typed in her zip code and looked up all the caches within 10 miles (37 in all).

Once you have a list of the caches near you, you can use the software that comes with your GPS unit to download the waypoints to your handset. Once there, you just choose the cache you want to hunt and tell your GPS to lead the way there! A typical GPS unit will get you within a 10 foot radius of where the cache is.

Caches range in size from very small (micro) to very large. The smallest caches are generally 35mm film canisters or waterproof match cans - these usually contain only a log book (and sometimes a small pencil). Larger caches also have a log book, but also may have items that can be traded (also referred to as "swag"). Once you find the cache, you sign the log book, trade any swag items that you'd like to, and then re-hide the cache as you found it for the next hunter to find.

Some caches have special swag items that are trackable. Geo-coins or Travel Bugs are items that hide in caches and can then be tracked by a unique identification number. Geo-cachers who put these items into action can watch them travel from cache to cache and state to state because when they are retrieved from a cache, users can log the fact that they were found and then record the next cache that they were put into.

We have so much fun with this! As I may have mentioned in previous posts, I was introduced to geo-caching last summer on our youth mission trip to Oklahoma. One of the adult leaders from another group had his GPS and was an avid geo-cacher. One afternoon when we had an hour or two to spare, he led our group on a couple hunts, and it was a great time! Our teens loved it - the kids who loved the outdoors thought it was a blast, the kids who enjoyed doing puzzles enjoyed it, and the kids who were addicted to technology liked the thought that they were being led by satellites. It had something for everyone!

Since then, I've purchased my own GPS and as of today have logged 41 finds (in Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Michigan). I haven't placed any caches yet, but I plan to once I reach 50. There's no guideline to follow about this, but I wanted to experience a lot of different ways to hide a cache before I placed one of my own.

I think that all makes sense, but then again, I know what I'm talking about. So...that's a primer on the topic - if you have any more questions, leave a comment, and I'll answer if I can!

Until next time - RevPhil

States I've Visited

2008-07-22T17:19:00.002-05:00

On our recent trip to Colorado, I added two states to the list of states I've been in (*new). I got wondering how many I was up to, so I decided to make a list (in alphabetical order, of course).

Alabama
Arkansas
British Virgin Islands (Tortola)
California
Colorado*
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico*
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. John)
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin

So that's it folks! 40 states (and territories) in 33 years - woo!

Am I well traveled? I kinda think I'm in the middle of the pack - I know a lot of people who have been more places than I have. Although, I traveled a lot with my parents and grandparents when I was a kid, I was on the road sometimes when I worked for IWU after college graduation, and now that I'm at FPC, I've added a few states to my count from mission trips and conferences.

Do you have me beat? Let me know!

Until next time - RevPhil

Righteous!

2008-07-22T11:29:00.005-05:00

This is the first of what I'm sure will be several posts recounting the TEAM FPC "Faith-Building Adventure Trip" to Camp RedCloud in Lake City, CO.

Let me start with this:

This is a picture from the spot my group ate lunch on the day of our "peak hike." We were attempting to summit Mount RedCloud (and came close, but were interrupted by a rain / hail storm).

I was completely bummed (as you may know, I have a thing with perfection / completion), but I was stoked that we would have finished. I was worried as the hike began, that I (or other members of the group) wouldn't be able to physically make it up the mountain (either because of high-altitude and low oxygen or being out of shape), but although we were tired and out of breath, this was not what kept us from our goal, it was the rain (which I believe was out of our control).

The week was great, the kids were great, the adult leaders were great...great, great, great! And alongside all that greatness was the fact that everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING) was viewed from a spiritual perspective and this meant the world to me.

I'll post more soon!

Until next time - RevPhil

Triple Double

2008-07-22T09:59:00.002-05:00

Tonight at 8:01pm ET, I will officially record my first triple double when the clock expires on my 32nd year of life and I turn the big 33.

I'll be spending the day in the sprawling metropolis my wife grew up in - Edgerton, OH. I hope to spend some of the day geo-caching, and I hope I have a nap on tap as well. Exciting, I know.

Anyways, thanks to all who have already wished me a happy birthday!

BTW - as you may have guessed, thanks to your prayers and some clutch driving by Skeeter, we arrived safe and sound from our all-night New Braunfels to Edgerton excursion.

Until next time - RevPhil

A Shot in the Arm

2008-07-08T10:34:00.002-05:00

I just completed my Tdap (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis) booster to complete my preparations for the upcoming "Faith-Building" trip to Colorado.

That got me thinking about the term "a shot in the arm."

I'm sure you're familiar with this saying - according to one website I found, it originated maybe as early as the 1920's. It means that something gave you a stimulus, a burst of energy / enthusiasm.

For example:

Kim's home run (and cute post-slide celebration) at the softball game last night was just the "shot in the arm" our team needed.

This saying must have evolved from something other than a vaccination. I might be the world's biggest sissy when it comes to needles, and I'm OK with that. But there's nothing about getting a shot (in the arm or any other part of my anatomy) that I even remotely look forward to (or feel invigorated by afterward).

On the other hand, we all need one periodically (literally and figuratively). My Tdap this morning was much overdue (my last one came in 1991 before my very first mission trip).

So here's my thoughts: give yourself a shot in the arm today. Some ideas (no needles required!):

1. Connect with God in a way that's meaningful for you.
Pray. Read. Go for a walk in the woods. Listen to a mix tape of your favorite worship tunes. Have a spiritual conversation with a friend.
Nothing can energize your day / week like a regular, genuine connection point with Him. Make it a habit! You're pre-disposed to be a creature of habit anyway - why not put yourself in a position where your habits continually push you closer to Him instead of pull you away!

2. Do a random act of kindness for someone you know (or someone you don't).
Buy someone else's lunch (or gas - if you can!) Wash the windshield on the car next to you at the pump. Empty the dishwasher when it's not your turn. Let that car turn left in front of you (even if it means you're going to catch a red light).
Doing something loving and caring for someone else (whether you know them or not - or whether they ever even know about it), takes your attention off yourself and that's almost always a GREAT thing! Plus that's perhaps the best way we can imitate Jesus.

3. Spend some time with someone you care about.
Do a puzzle with your kids. Pet your dog and let him lick your face. Take your family to Baskin-Robbins (or make home-made ice cream together).
Have fun! Laugh! Don't worry if the puzzle pieces get bent or an ice cream sundae spills. Watch your stress level drop as the minutes pass. You may be building a memory that will outlive you - and that may be a good or bad thing.

Any other ideas? I've had my "shot in the arm" for today, but I'll need a tip for tomorrow!

Until next time - RevPhil

Water for a week

2008-07-07T13:03:00.003-05:00

Today makes a week!

In preparation for our upcoming trip to the mountains of Lake City, CO, it was suggested that we cut back on sodas (pop for my OH friends) and drink more water.

This was not something that I was looking forward to. I generally dislike drinking water. It's like drinking air - colorless, flavorless, etc.

BTW - this can be added to the list of differences between me and "Wife of RevPhil." Water is her favorite beverage.

Anyway, at the conclusion of the youth Port A trip in June, I cut soda out of my drinking. I was hitting the lemonade and tea and Crystal Light and Gatorade and feeling pretty good about myself for staying off the bubbly stuff.

Last Monday I decided to go off all of that and hit only water.

So, as of today, it's been 168 hours and the only thing I've had to drink besides water has been a swig of apple juice and the milk from one bowl of cereal on Saturday. Sometimes I make it 2-3 minutes without thinking of heading down to Schumann Hall and gulping down a 20 oz. Diet Coke with Lime. Not bad!

This is without a doubt the longest I've ever gone on water only. And I'm not really feeling different. I'm planning on keeping the water flowing throughout the rest of this week and in Colorado, so we'll see - that will be a full 19 days, so maybe I'll be a different person then - completely cleansed and uber-healthy.

Who knows, maybe I'll never drink anything but water again...water and communion wine (or juice).

Yeah, right.

Until next time - RevPhil

Dum-dum-da-dum-dum-dum-dum...

2008-07-05T21:21:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to get in the spirit!

Now that Anna and I have explored 11+ years of marriage, we're finding out that we're pretty much opposite in most areas of preference. For example:

Exhibit A: Making the bed is one of the priorities of her day (she even makes the bed in hotels!) - I never do it, and never even consider it
Exhibit B: She likes those emails that have the ridiculous, innane questions (if you were to name your left ear, what name would you choose?) - I can't stand them
Exhibit C: She worries about everything, big, small, medium - I don't make a habit of it
Exhibit D: She gets pleasure from watching the number attached to our savings account grow - I would rather spend those dollars on actual pleasurable activities, etc.

Those are just for starters. I could go on, but I digress.

I started this entry because one of the only things we agree on is getting mouth-wateringly close.

WE LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!

Summer / Winter - makes no difference to us. We love to watch the best athletes from the USA giving their best against the best of the world. It's an awesome time.

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Until next time - RevPhil

Chillin'

2008-06-28T23:33:00.002-05:00

Whoa.

This week has been amazing / exhausting - let me elaborate:

SonWorld Adventure Park VBS at First Protestant was the stinkin' bomb! We switched a few things around this year, and all together, I think they added up to a wonderful week. For instance:

1. We adjusted the days so that we began on Sunday night instead of Monday. We did this because our Friday attendance was always in the tank, and we hoped to avoid that low-point at the end of the week. We did - our attendance on Thursday was 2nd highest behind Tuesday, so that was good. Sunday's attendance was lower than we expected - about 10 lower than our average.

Grade: B
As far as attendance, all we did was move our low day to the beginning of the week - the good part of this adjustment was that we ended on Thursday.

2. We decided not to charge registration fees this year, giving ourselves the opportunity to take an offering, and get the children involved in a missions project throughout the week. Last year our registration fee was $5 for the week and we probably collected around 80 (=$400). This year, we collected pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, dimes on Wednesday and quarters on Thursday (with all proceeds benefitting the Knight family of Port Arthur, TX) and we raised $1400.

Grade: A+
This could not have gone better! The kids were excited and we were able to celebrate every night and think about how our spare change was going to impact our sponsored family for the good. It was wonderful (and totally worth the 4 whipped cream pies in the face)!

3. Instead of splitting the children into classes by grade level completed, we just took our list of registered students, lined them up by their birthdate and divided by 6. This was supposed to give us an even number of students in each class and create. In theory, this was a great idea, the problem was attendance: we had several children registered and did not attend, and a bunch of children who attended but did not register in advance. This caused the oldest class to grow significantly and throw off our ratios.

Grade: C+
We made this change to avoid having classes of more than 20-22 students, which would ease the load on our teachers, especially in the younger grades (where there are generally the most children). Our younger classes were smaller than last year (between 15-18 compared with 24-28), which was good, but our oldest class was almost always over 25.

4. Because of the "adventure park" theme, we arranged a "family outing" at Six Flags Fiesta Texas on Friday. We sold a lot of tickets at the group rate, but only a few families took advantage of the day together.

Grade: C-
We arrived at the park around 9:45am and left the park 12 hours later. It was a fun day, the kids enjoyed the log-ride, carousel and a few other carnival-type rides. The attendance was much lower than I expected - I was hoping more families would spend the day. On the positive, the families who did go seemed to enjoy themselves and have a good day.

5. At least one child prayed to receive Christ this week! Obviously, this was the point of our efforts, the reason we planned, prayed and painted.

Grade: A+

Overall grade: A
I'm sure there were things that we could have done better, things to improve, but this was a great week, and one that will be remembered / celebrated for a long time. Praise God!

So...after all that, we used today as a relax / recuperate. Like I said before: chillin'.

Tomorrow is Phillip's birthday, so we've got big plans for presents, Schlitterbahn, Dad's Delicious Dinner and cake and ice cream. With that in mind, I'd better get to bed!

Until next time -

RevPhil

The Lord's Table

2008-06-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

Communion.

During my time at First Protestant Church, I've thought a lot about communion. I've shared it with folks in the Traditional service in the sanctuary, the Contemporary service in Schumann Hall, a bunch of guys gathered by the river / in a friend's house, with each of my Confirmation classes, and other places I'm sure.

You may have heard me say this before, but every time I participate in communion, I wonder what Jesus' original disciples would think about how we handle it. Most of the time it's so...institutional / organized. I don't know if they would even recognize what we're doing.

I mean, think about it. Jesus introduced this whole thing in a very intimate setting. He was sitting around with his best friends / fiercest / most faithful followers and He gave them a way to remember Him and the sacrifice He was about to make for them and all who would believe.

I can't imagine them doing it like we do: "OK, everybody get in line and I'll pass the plate of wafers and the tray of tiny cups!"

I really think they just got together with some food and drink and talked about Jesus...remembered Him...you know? I bet they laughed, I bet they cried, and I bet that for them it was as close as they could get to actually being with Jesus again.

You know what it's like when you get together with old friends and talk about the old times you shared. You laugh until your stomach hurts at the memories of that road trip. You cry together when you talk about the friend you lost. You just talk and reminisce and remember - and you honor those times and the people you shared them with.

That's communing. That's how I wish communion could be for us - every time.

Don't get me wrong. I understand the time issue and the relationship aspect required to really commune that way. But you can't blame a guy for wishing, can you?

Along these lines, a friend forwarded me an unpublished poem she found relating to communion. I'm going to give you a link to the page I think she found it on. The thoughts the author of the blog shares are much like mine here.

http://pleasepassthecheese.blogspot.com/2007/04/scots-form-in-suburbs.html

Peace - RevPhil

Terrible and Awesome

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a story I got from my dad a few weeks ago:

From horror, a child's loving gift
By Rod Dreher
www.jewishworldreview.com

Every day we pick up the newspaper and read stories of suffering and inhumanity that make you want to draw the curtains and sit quietly in the dark.

Though it easily could have been, this tale is not one of them.

On the afternoon of May 4, Jessica Johnson Palmer took her three children to a park to meet her former boyfriend. According to the East Baton Rouge Parish (Louisiana) Sheriff's Office, the boyfriend and his current girlfriend lured the family into the woods, beat Mrs. Palmer to death with a baseball bat, slit the throats of 4-year-old Lindsay and 3-year-old Juan. They left Robbyn, a 7-month-old, to die alone.

But the baby didn't die. And she didn't die because Lindsay didn't die.

In their haste, the killers' blade missed Lindsay's jugular. After the murderers left, the wounded girl huddled with her baby sister under a bush through the Louisiana night.

The next morning, park groundskeepers saw Lindsay stumbling out of the woods holding the baby. She collapsed. The children were bitten so badly by insects that sheriff's deputies thought they had been burned. In the hospital that night, a sheriff's spokeswoman told me, Lindsay refused to sleep until nurses brought her baby sister to cradle in her arms.

The information Lindsay gave police led to the arrest of two people, one of them allegedly her biological father. "God, you left the prophetess alive to tell the story," the family's pastor said at the funeral.

The Baton Rouge Advocate reported that Lindsay came to the funeral with a white scarf hiding her neck wound. Erin Manning, a Fort Worth writer, observed on my blog that the scarf conceals a profound mystery: "We can't bear to look at the sacrificial cost of love — a wound so bravely borne because at some level, this child's love for her tiny sister outweighed her terror and her pain."

This is why the lives of the saints are so much more important than moral exhortation. We need to see and to feel what goodness, especially heroic goodness, is like. Evil, even great evil, usually can be explained, but true goodness? That's more of a mystery. Mysteries, by definition, can never be fully explained, only revealed.

This is a revelation.

How must that child have felt that night, so tiny and abandoned, facing the crushing enormity of what she had seen and the blackness of the night in the swampy woods? I come from the next town over. I have been in those woods. They're infested with poisonous snakes, wildcats and other killers that prowl at night. All children growing up in south Louisiana know that.

She could have run deeper into the woods to flee the gruesome scene never to be seen again. She could have sat quietly, paralyzed by fear and trauma, until she and the baby perished from exposure or worse. Either would have been tragic, God knows, but unsurprising.

After all, she was only 4.

That's not what Lindsay did. After keeping vigil with the baby in the savage ruins of their family's life, that little girl picked up her sister and walked straight out of hell.

Witness the power of love. It was love, surely, that gave that child the courage and presence of mind to face down unimaginable terror. All the darkness in the hearts of the diabolical killers, and the darkness of a thousand million evil nights like that one, cannot overcome the light that young child kindled in her heart, hiding under the bush near the body of her dead mother and brother.

Long after the despicable deeds of the killers are forgotten, people will tell stories about what she did. How many of us face long odds and struggle with hardship, sickness and despair? Who hasn't been tempted to surrender to the thought that the hate and pain and sorrow of this life are too great to endure?

Let them think of Lindsay, who refused despair. For the rest of her life, the scar on her neck will be a luminous sign to the world: Love conquers all.

When Lindsay Paige Johnson, age 4, staggered bloody out of the darkness and into the light, she carried her baby sister. Baby Robbyn's life is Lindsay's gift to her.

But she also carried hope. This is her gift to us.

Cool videos I've been collecting

2008-06-15T22:03:00.008-05:00

I've been saving some good videos in my email, thinking, "Hey, I should post link on my blog..." So, I'm cleaning out my inbox and these have to go. Enjoy!

I'm going to list these with the title from the email.

Short but breathtaking - http://www.youtube.com/v/SmLhyPjHVes
Wow - http://www.wretch.cc/video/ritahsia&func=single&vid=2282608&rpage=2&p=0

Cardboard testimonies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

From a doctor - http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=152b5103d741aca61093

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time - RevPhil

This was what I was worried about...

2008-06-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

OK, OK...it's been a while since my last post.

One of the reasons I put off starting this blog was that I was concerned that life would get hectic and I wouldn't be able to keep up as well as I want to. So here we are...

Here's a quick breakdown of my last couple of weeks:

May 29 - work in the am, home with E and Katy in the pm while Anna was at Phillip's school party, parents arrive at SA airport at 11:00pm
May 30 - volunteer at NBHS project graduation from 1:00am-3:00am, last day of school, vacation begins, parents visiting
May 31 - vacation, parents visiting
June 1 - preach FPC Contemporary service, Time Warner taping, river tubing incident
June 2 - vacation, parents visiting, Anna has a job interview, Schlitterbahn day, Anna turns 33
June 3 - vacation, parents visiting
June 4 - vacation, parents visiting
June 5 - vacation, parents depart SA airport at 6:45am
June 6 - vacation
June 7 - vacation, Ross Salge graduation party, drop Flash at Coulombe's, pack for youth Port A trip
June 8 - teach Kids' Connection at 9:00, preach FPC Contemporary service, leave for Port A right after church
June 9 - youth Port A trip, tile job begins
June 10 - youth Port A trip, back in NB at 4:00pm, tile job continues, can't return home until after 8:00pm, worst restaurant experience ever
June 11 - back to work for the first time in 12 days, Slumber Falls meeting, tile job continues, VBS decorating
June 12 - tile job continues, work day, Schlitterbahn in the pm, pray with Port Arthur mission team before departure, water leak at FPC
June 13 - day off, tile job almost completed, clean the garage in the am, anniversary celebratory dinner and movie with wife in the evening
June 14 - 11th anniversary, at grocery store by 8:00am with Elijah, hot dog handout at river from 1:00-3:00pm
June 15 - Father's Day, preach FPC 8:00 Traditional service, preach FPC 10:30 Traditional service, Father's Day lunch with Adams' and Coulombe's, nap, watch US Open, watching NBA Finals as I blog this

Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!

Here's the thing. I've got quite a few things to blog about, but my life is hectic right now. I'm going to try to put my best effort in here, but I'm not making any promises. VBS is next week, the youth Colorado trip is right around the corner, and a thousand other things.

Please don't give up on me!

Until next time - RevPhil

By the way...

2008-06-04T20:08:00.002-05:00

I'm married to an older woman. As of Monday (June 2), she's officially 33 - and I'm a spry 32.

Visit Prep

2008-06-04T19:45:00.006-05:00

Well...today is the last day of my parents' visit. I'm getting up before the sun tomorrow to take them to the airport to catch their 6:45am plane back to Cleveland.

We've had a good visit! Despite the "incident" on the river and subsequent tube issues at Schlitterbahn, I think we've all enjoyed ourselves. I'm pretty sure my folks are going to enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the airplane after 6 straight days with the "boisterous" Brown kids.

So, since the visit is almost at an end, I thought I'd share some pics of the "pre-visit prep" that we were working on.

This is a douglas fir picnic set that belonged to my Grandpa and Grandma Clements (Mom's parents). Dad and I decided that it's probably about 40-50 years old. It had quite a bit of weather damage, etc. I took it over to my friend's wood shop, where he helped me plane all the boards down, then I added a couple coats of combination stain / poly. I'm hoping it lasts another 40-50 years because I really don't want to do it again.

This is the flowerbed in front of the house. It had a few out of control bushes and some grass-type mess at the front. We ripped all that garb out and added some Japanese Sky Pencil (along the wall), Silverado Sage (along the railing) and Lantana (in front). This was a major project because we couldn't decide what to do and because we had a water drainage issue to deal with (see picture below).

This is a picture of our new gutters. When we ripped everything out of the bed, we also took out the rocks that were dispersing the water. So we had to find a new way to deal with that water, or our fancy new plants would be washed out everytime it rained. So we got new gutters.

All in all - good visit! My mom even played "catch" in the pool - definitely out of her comfort zone.

Until next time - RevPhil

A Leisurely Tube Ride...

2008-06-01T22:22:00.003-05:00

Yeah - not so much.

It was rough from the beginning. I dropped everyone (Anna, the kids and my parents) at Prince Solms Park and then drove the van over to a friends house by the last public exit. I jogged back over to the park and we made our way (with our 7 tubes and appropriately sized cooler) down to the river.

Mishap #1
My mom was going to be the first into the water.

Before I go on, let me say this: I'm impressed that Mom was even going. She's not exactly what you would call a great swimmer. As a kid, I remember swimming a LOT - I can't ever remember seeing Mom with her head under water (or even getting her hair wet intentionally). I remember her yelling at us (and other kids) for splashing in her vicinity in the pool. Just to set the stage. :)

I got down on the step and put her tube in position for her to sit. She put one foot down onto the step and WHAM! - she landed on her keester. She was OK, I got her and everyone else into their tubes, tied off our shoes and cooler and off we went.

The water was great! It was cool and we were floating calmly - it was nice. Anna and my mom decided that they (along with Phillip and Elijah) would skip the first tube chute and walk around - as it turned out, this was an error in strategy - more on this in just a moment.

We got them out, and Katy, Dad and I proceeded down the chute - woooooooooooo! Good stuff! At one point, Katy got a faceful of water, but all in all, we did well. Everyone was happy.

Mishap #2
Once we got clear of the chute, I got out of my tube and pulled Dad and Katy back to where Anna, Mom and the boys were getting ready to get back in (which, upon further review, was not the correct entry point).

They were getting in right at the mouth of the chute. Anna got in her tube and joined the group. Next was Elijah, then Phillip, then Mom. All were in, all was good.

Then all Heck broke loose at once. Keep in mind that everything I'm going to mention next happened in the span of about 3 seconds.

Mom drifted too close to the end of the chute. The current flipped her out and took her across the river. She was connected to the group by Phillip (either he was holding her tube or vice versa). When she flipped and entered the current, so did he.

So now the two of them are on their way across (under water). At this point, adrenaline takes charge of Dad and he leaps out of his tube (reminiscent of being shot from a cannon) after Mom and Phillip. I'm with Anna, Katy and Elijah now, watching Phillip and Dad's heads (I couldn't locate Mom's immediately).

I see Phillip with Dad, so I know they're OK. I leave my tube with Anna and jump into the current to get over to where the others are. About halfway across I see everyone. Phillip is being hauled out of the river by his arm by a kind stranger, Mom is clinging to a lifeguard's buoy, and Dad is trying to hang on to the wall. So I locate one of our tubes, and swim it over to Dad and tell him to start heading down to the next entry point. Then I go and get Phillip, retrieve his tube from where another kind stranger tossed it onto the bank, and then I help Mom get out of the water and get her tube.

So now I'm walking Mom and Phillip down to the next entry point (all the while making sure everyone's OK, and trying to calm Phillip down and convince him that the only way back to our van is to get back in the tube and follow the river).

Everyone's back in their tube now, except me. Dad, Mom and Phillip are together, and Anna has Elijah and Katy (and my tube). So I'm working my way back to where Anna is and I thrash my knee against a rock.

Finally, I get everyone situated. Just in time for the 2nd chute.

Happily, our journey down the second chute was less dramatic. No one left their tube and everyone was fine (except for the emotional reactions to what just happened). There was shaking, crying and general nervousness all around.

I know what you're thinking...why get back in the water? Trot your cheeks back to your van, pick everyone up and chuck the whole concept of a float.

Well, here's why I rushed everyone back in: I knew that if Phillip didn't get right back in the water, he would NEVER get in it again. He is the most cautious child alive and if I would have let him stay out after being scared, that would have been the end.

So...we floated. We talked. We named animals through the alphabet (I think we only made it to C). And nobody flipped anymore. It ended much better than it began.

So now we're all recuperating. I'm rehabbing my knee (a little mentholatum and ice), and everyone else is rehabbing frayed nerves. I don't think anyone's going to have trouble sleeping.

Thank you, Father, for keeping us all safe and reminding us of our Your strength in our weakness.

Tomorrow, we take our act to Schlitterbahn!

Until next time - RevPhil

Too Cool

2008-05-21T08:46:00.002-05:00

You gotta check this out!

This morning my dad clued me in to an awesome website: http://www.pandora.com/

It's a music thingy that lets you create "radio stations" that play music from artists that you like, and artists that sound like the artists you like.

So far I have:

Aerosmith radio
Diamond Rio radio
Kutless radio

You can try it for a few minutes before registering, but once you do, it says you can maintain up to 100 stations. You can't replay songs or request specific songs, but you can type in any song or artist and get similar stuff playing (and eventually the original song, I guess).

Hang on, I'm creating a new station...

Yeah, dude - Journey radio

You gotta give this one a test drive. Let me know your stations!

Until next time - RevPhil

Welcome Back Cotto

2008-05-21T08:35:00.003-05:00

Well, last night we pulled the trigger (finally).

Anna's been wanting to replace the chipped linoleum in the kitchen, laundry room, entry and downstairs bathroom with tile, so a week or so ago, we brought home some samples and were trying to figure out what would look right with our countertops and cabinets. The winner is...Cotto!

We started off with selections that were significantly darker and busier, but we finally settled on this because it's more neutral and gives us more options when we paint. It also looks good on both the floor and the backsplash.

Now all we have to do is go to the coast so the workers can infiltrate our home!

Welcome back, Cotto!

Until next time - RevPhil

This week has been...

2008-05-18T21:16:00.004-05:00

a. stinky
As you may or may not know, last week I had to have the transmission on my Mustang rebuilt. It was making a heinous knocking noise, so I took it in to the shop, and sure enough, something had broken, and it needed to be fixed. OK - very expensive repair, but it had to be done. So I pick it up on Friday night, drive it a couple days and on Tuesday, I'm driving in 2nd gear on Loop 337 around New Braunfels, when all of a sudden, 2nd gear disappears - it's no longer an option. I take it in to the shop on Wednesday, and it has to be fixed (thankfully the repairs were guaranteed). So I get it back Wednesday night, drive it for a few days and today, on the way home from church...you guessed it...2nd gear has officially disappeared again. Stinky doesn't begin to describe it...

b. busy
Since Tuesday, every night this week we've had something going on. Tuesday was LNB graduation and a Kindergarten prep meeting for Katy's new school. Wednesday, Anna did the actual registration for Katy for Kindergarten (dual language) and then we had the last youth Bible study at Landa Park. Thursday night was the FPC Church Council meeting. Friday night I had a meeting with a couple I'm marrying next weekend, and a rehearsal for Saturday's wedding. Saturday morning we got up and did yard work, stopped in time for me to shower and head to the church for a wedding, then we saw the new Narnia movie - Prince Caspian with the youth from our church (and a few others). Today, I preached in the two traditional services at FPC, watched the first three quarters of the Cavs game (they lost...grrr), went to softball practice, then came home and re-planted a rose bush (that in Anna's opinion was 3 inches to the right of where it should have been). Busy doesn't really fully describe it either...

c. painful
We're getting old. Anna is constantly hurting herself on relatively routine tasks like laundry and walking. After our gardening excursion on Saturday, I had a wicked chafe happening, and for some reason, both Anna and I got a zit this week. What's happening? We're falling apart!

d. a reminder that we're getting old (see c.) and lame (see below)
After my rehearsal on Friday night, our friends stopped by and we watched the Cavaliers vs. Celtics game 6 (not lame), and had an amazingly fun time searching through youtube for the theme songs to our favorite 80's television programs (significantly lame). I'm not ashamed to say that it was fun, though! A few favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xcmsXnuitQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9ROoPynGFM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iliLnQmaEOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IME0kUgJ9qM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ2pQ0YF_ak
And the one that got us started:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukSvjqwJixw
We got really good at critiquing them. We noticed how they all used similar text and how long the intros to our favorite shows used to be! We found one that was almost 2 minutes long! Feel free to leave your favorite as a link on the comment page! I know, I know...neither old nor lame really describe it.

So...that's why it's been a few days between posts. I have plans to be a little more diligent with it this week - but we'll see how that goes after I leave the Mustang at the shop again tomorrow morning...

Until next time - RevPhil

Leadership New Braunfels paper

2008-05-12T21:09:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I graduate from the Leadership Program of the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce. I've spent one day a month for the past 9 months or so learning about the city of New Braunfels and meeting city and county officials and local businessmen. Some of the neat things we've taken part in are: taking a helicopter tour of the city with Silver State Helicopters (before bankruptcy), getting a tour of the New Braunfels Smokehouse facility, the Herald-Zeitung printing building and the city and county offices. Along with that, I've had the chance to get to know a bunch of neat people from different businesses and organizations in town. It's been a neat and valuable way to spend one day a month.

The last requirement of the class is to prepare and present a group research paper on one of several assigned topics. The other members of my group consisted of Janet Mack (Eden Home), James Long (First State Bank), and Jean Marie Rich (T Bar M), and our topic was "Retail Recruitment - How Are We Doing?" Enjoy:

Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce
Leadership New Braunfels, Class of 2008
Research Paper

Retail Recruitment in Greater New Braunfels

“Is It Safe to Send Your Wife to New Braunfels in the Rain?”

Presented by: Phil Brown, James Long, Janet Mack, Jean Marie Rich

Is it safe to send your wife to New Braunfels in the rain? Definitely.

Should it be? We don’t think so.

Don’t misunderstand though – we’re not suggesting that we invite more criminals to town so that your wife’s not safe here.

Picture this scenario: Your wife and some girlfriends suggest a trip to New Braunfels to spend some time on one of our beautiful rivers in a tube (with an appropriate sized cooler, of course).

Conclusion: this is a pretty safe excursion, one you can wholeheartedly support! Why? Because once they’ve bought their drinks, put their swimsuits on and paid to get on the river, your bank account is safe and secure!

But what if it rains?

Where would a group of women go to entertain themselves on a rainy day? You guessed it – shopping! But are there enough retail outlets in New Braunfels to satisfy your wife’s desire to shop? You be the judge:

A recent economic study submitted to the New Braunfels City Council concluded that “in Comal county we have fewer people employed in retail stores as a percentage of total jobs than Bexar, Hays, Gillespie and Kerr counties, and less than the state average.1” Additionally, there are “less than half as many jobs in clothing stores in Comal county than the state average.2”

As long as your wife and her friends stay here – you’re in the clear. That’s good news for you and your nest egg, but it’s bad news for the economic health of our community.

The Need for More Retail – Pursuing Balance

Recruiting new retailers to New Braunfels is going to enhance our ability to grow. This has to be a priority for us! City Councilman Pat Wiggins, who also owns one of the largest retail centers in New Braunfels states, “Additional retail will positively affect New Braunfels economically by adding tax revenue and trickle down to other parts of the economy.3”

Mr. Wiggins also believes that “retail is 100% driven by housing.4” The type of housing built will determine the type of retail that can be sustained. Rusty Brockman, Director of Economic Development for the Chamber of Commerce agrees, and states that “our retail outlets are significantly behind our current population. Even with the new Creekside development, we’re not up to par.5”

The Buxton Report states, “Retail is now an essential part of a community’s economic health and vitality. As America’s economy has grown, demand for more retail and dining choices have grown to enhance the quality of our lives.6” It doesn’t make sense that we’re allowing our growing population (and their sales tax dollars) drive 10 miles north to San Marcos or 15 miles south to San Antonio to do their shopping! This is especially true as we watch fuel prices skyrocket locally and across the nation!

In order for our economic health to be stable for years to come, it’s important for us to diversify our focus from simply relying on tourism. We recognize from recent experience that a summer with above normal rainfall, or a new city ordinance can negatively affect the health of our community’s economy. Are we really comfortable in a situation where the weather or the city council have that much impact on our economic health? Something needs to change!

It’s already been stated that our employment numbers in the area of retail are significantly below the state average. By recruiting new retailers to New Braunfels, we can expect our unemployment rate to decrease. As additional jobs are created for our residents, we anticipate that they will not only earn their salary here, but they will spend it here, too!

The situation is improving – the new Creekside development is coming to the north side of the city, and the addition of the Lowe’s south of town definitely helps. But even with these new additions, we are clearly still lacking in the kind of retail outlets that our population uses regularly. You can literally watch those sales tax dollars drive right out of the city.

The bottom line is this: there is so much potential here! We must be dedicated to diversifying our economy so that we’re not solely relying on the rivers and Wurstfest to make our fiscal year, and it only makes sense to take advantage of our exploding population and give these new residents the outlets to get what they need and want, and keeping their tax dollars here in New Braunfels and Comal county.

Protecting Our Heritage

Anyone who’s spent time in New Braunfels understands that we are a community that is extremely connected to two things: our historic German heritage and the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers. And because these are extremely valuable and marketable aspects of life here, our economic health greatly benefits from the tourism industry.

The economic report presented to the City Council also reported “that tourism generates $255 million in Comal county in 2006.7” That’s a lot of money – but that’s not all! In the past 5 years, the tourism industry has created more than 5,000 new jobs in New Braunfels.8 That’s a huge boost to our economy, and explains why the population in greater New Braunfels has grown from 36,494 in 2000 to and estimated 51,066 in 2007.9

Some claim that those statistics are an indicator that we need more retail outlets to keep up with our growing population. The problem with that is that we lose our heritage and the small town feel that is one of the most attractive parts of life in New Braunfels. If our population continues to grow at the rate we have since 2000, 10 years from now our city will be unrecognizable.

Mr. Eugene Mornhinweg, a lifelong New Braunfels resident can remember a time when all of the shops were named for the family who operated them (such as Henne Hardware),and only sold one thing (drug stores sold drugs, clothing stores sold clothing, etc.) and every store was within “shouting distance” from each other and from the plaza.10

April Carley, a 4th generation citizen of New Braunfels remembers that when she was single and in college, she loved the “growing” aspect of life in New Braunfels – there was always something fun and exciting happening. Now that she’s married and has a family, she misses the small town atmosphere she grew up in: small schools, knowing her child’s teacher, recognizing people at the store and seeing all of her neighbors at the community festivals and events. Now, our community events are filled with people who drive in from an hour or more away, and it’s difficult to locate anyone you know! Her concern is that our German heritage is in the newspapers a few days a year, but is not a big part of life in New Braunfels on a day to day basis. The older generations remember our German heritage, but that concern for tradition is being lost with the younger generations.11 If we continue on this same path, how long will it be until our historic German heritage is completely gone?

We spend so much time talking about recruiting new businesses to town, but what are we doing to keep the retailers we already have? Before the losses of Owens-Corning and Silver State Helicopters, Rusty Brockman estimated that “since 2001, New Braunfels has lost businesses that employed 2,500 and gained business that employ 4,000.12” So, because of these losses, we have added only about 200 jobs per year over the past 7 years.

Another question we have to ask about recruiting new retailers here is if New Braunfels has the infrastructure in place to support these new businesses and more population growth. Will our police department, school districts, hospitals, roads and water supply support this kind of growth? These are serious issues that have to be addressed before these new retailers are brought to town.

Obviously, we don’t live in the 1920’s anymore. We’re in the era of the superstore and buying in bulk at Costco or Sam’s Club. Instead of seeing the charm of the local, family store, today’s consumers want the instant gratification of walking into a store and being able to buy a new pair of jeans, the latest movie on DVD, a gallon of milk and a new toothbrush, all while getting their oil changed and new tires. Does anyone really believe that’s a good thing?

You Make the Call

The statistics and arguments are in, and they are up for interpretation. How are we doing in the area of Retail Recruitment? Should we be recruiting new retailers and pursuing growth and balance economically, or should we fiercely defend and protect our valuable German heritage?

Footnotes
1 “Revenue from day tubers won’t stretch far,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, 18 December, 2007
2 Ibid.
3 Mr. Pat Wiggins, interviewed by James Long, New Braunfels, TX, 30 April, 2008
4 Ibid.
5 Mr Rusty Brockman, interviewed by Jean Marie Rich, New Braunfels, TX, 18 March, 2008
6 Buxton Report Official Website, http://www.buxtonco.com
7 “Revenue from day tubers won’t stretch far,” New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung, 18 December, 2007
8 Ibid.
9 New Braunfels, TX – Official Website – Demographics, http://www.ci.new-braunfels.tx.us/index.asp?NID=579 (April 2008)
10 Mr. Eugene Mornhinweg, interviewed by Janet Mack, Eden Care Center, New Braunfels, TX, 18 March, 2008
11 Mrs. April Carley, interviewed by Jean Marie Rich, New Braunfels, TX, 18 March, 2008
12 Mr Rusty Brockman, interviewed by Jean Marie Rich, New Braunfels, TX, 18 March, 2008

Until next time - RevPhil

Are we in Texas or what?

2008-05-12T20:39:00.005-05:00

OK - we gave in to peer pressure.

The Brown house now has the customary rusty looking Texas star:

It hangs proudly over the front door, announcing to everyone, "You're in Texas now!"

On another, unrelated note, here's the link to sermon audio from yesterday's Contemporary service at First Protestant Church. http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/5-11-2008%20cont%20PB.wma

By the way, for those of you who are new to my blog, or read the posts more than a couple of weeks after I post, the sermon audio links are only good for 1-2 weeks, and then they are taken down and replaced with more recent sermons.

Until next time - RevPhil

That felt good

2008-05-10T19:07:00.004-05:00

It's officially over.

For those of you following the curiosity of the dip-phone, the end is here.

Elijah and Anna went with me to the cell phone store and E scored a new phone to play with (it may have had something to do with the fact that this phone spent some time in the toilet). Anyways - the dip-phone is once again out of the equation, so...

I took out a little frustration on it. And I liked it.

Fare thee well dip.

Until next time - RevPhil

That one must have hit a nerve...

2008-05-08T09:13:00.004-05:00

Hmmmm...

Requests for thoughts on James 5:12 followed by complete and utter silence. I guess that one hit.

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who has had a flat tire or car trouble or a broken appliance this week. Apparently Sunday's sermon on dealing with difficulties and trouble righteously was a tad prophetic. I've heard several stories about people experiencing trouble already this week.

A friend had to make 2 trips to drop the kids of at day care because he forgot the bottles, then a day or two later, the washing machine broke. At one point I used a flat tire as an illustration of a negative situation we have to deal with in life. One family has had 2 flat tires so far this week...oops!

This could possibly develop into a pattern, so to be prepared, I'm taking a poll on what I should inadvertantly mention in this week's sermon, hoping that it will follow in real life. A few ideas to get your mind in gear:

- finding $ in the grocery store parking lot
- finding out you have an extra week of vacation you weren't planning on
- gas prices dip below $2.00 a gallon :)
- NYPD Blue is coming back on the air to replace American Idol
- temperatures to stay in the mid-80's through August
- the shaved head look becomes stylish and chique

Ok - bring 'em on!

Until next time - RevPhil

Chilly, Chile or Chili?

2008-05-05T20:28:00.005-05:00

How do you spell...?

So many of you were concerned for the well being of our marriage after my sermon yesterday. Several kindhearted friends offered their couch or spare room if I needed a place to crash for the night after my comments about Anna and her spelling. One person threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't lighten up on her! Whoa!

Just to clarify and put everyone's heart and mind at ease, Anna and I are fine. She wasn't offended and didn't make me sleep on the couch.

If the above comments completely confused you, check out the audio from my sermon yesterday entitled, "Patience in the Face of Suffering" from James 5:7-11. http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/5-04-2008%20cont%20PB.wma

Also, if you're interested, the audio of the Confirmation Celebration from yesterday at 3:00pm is also available and you can get it here: http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/5-4-2008%20confirmation%20service/

Now - as I promised yesterday, I have a few thoughts to share about James 5:12. There's enough here to warrant another whole sermon, but in the interests of time (and so that we can complete our study of James this century) I'm going to post the info here instead of preaching it in person. Here goes:

James 5:12 - Above all, my brothers, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

This is the first of a series of commands that James issues to close out his letter to the scattered Jewish-Christian church he's been preaching to over the past 5 chapters.

As I have repeatedly mentioned, James' pattern throughout this letter is to present believers with a series of what I've referred to as "Tests of Living Faith." And the words that come out of our mouth has consistently found its way onto this list of tests. Our speech is mentioned in every chapter as an indicator of the health of our faith and relationship with Christ (1:26, 2:12, 3:2-11, 4:11, 5:12)

Apparently, to James, the way we talk is the most revealing test of our true spiritual state. He agrees with his brother, Jesus, who had this to say about the words we choose:

Luke 6:43-45 - No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

So clearly, our words are important. James uses the term "above all" - in other words, "this is the clearest test - everything else we've talked about is an indicator, but nothing says more about your faith and relationship with Jesus than your words. Wow.

He goes on to say, "do not swear." This doesn't mean "don't use foul language and four-letter words," but let me address that quickly. I've been bothered recently by how acceptable it's become inside and outside the church to be what my mother would refer to as a "potty-mouth." For real, dude! Why do we find it so necessary to pepper our conversation with these words? I have always found that I lose respect for people when they can't express themselves effectively without using profanity every other word.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to be a prude, here, and imply that every sentence we utter has to have a reference to Jesus and end with "Praise the Lord." I realize that they're just words, and if at some point "pickle" had been used in a profane way, and looked upon differently, we may view it as a curse word, but, really, can't we find a more appropriate and meaningful way to express strong emotions than relying on profanity?

I think we can. And I think when we do, people will notice. Those words are so prominent, it's an easy way to let our light shine to just avoid using them.

OK - I'm off the soap box. Back to the text.

Here's what James is really getting at. The Jews of his day had developed the practice of swearing false, evasive, deceptive oaths by everything other than the name of the Lord (which was the only thing that was considered to be a binding oath).

So - if I wanted to lie to you about something, I could swear by heaven, Jerusalem, the temple, the veil or my mother's eyes to add emphasis to what I was telling you. Then I could break that vow, because I never said "on the name of the Lord."

A contemporary example of this same technique is "I had my fingers crossed." I know I promised you that I would do..., but I only swore by my step-father's goatee, so that didn't really count!

They were going out of their way to hide their lying hearts and intentions and covering it up with these complex, wordy approaches to answering a direct question. Does this sound familiar? I seem to remember somebody saying something like, "It depends on what the definition of is is."

What!? Come on. James is saying, if you're taking the name of Jesus - you should have integrity enough that people trust that your "Yes" means yes, and they don't need you to swear by anything. We should have the belt of truth (see Ephesians 6) wrapped so tightly around our lives, that people believe us because we have credibility, not because we found a creative way to trick them by swearing what seems to be a promise.

When people are trying to convince me of something and they say, "I swear!," I usually say, "You don't have to swear - if you tell me the truth, I'll believe you." Shouldn't that be the way people see us? We should have so much integrity that our words have power.

When we say, "YES!," people ought to know that we mean it and that we can be trusted.
When we say, "NO!," others should know from our previous encounters that they can believe us.

When a person is constantly adding unnecessary oaths and I-swears to their words, it doesn't build their credibility, it weakens it.

Here's the best way to make sure that people will believe what you tell them: make a habit of telling the truth. Sounds simple, right? It's just that easy.

One last thing before I go. Some of you may ask, what about weddings and courtrooms? Don't we regularly make oaths in those situations (and even place our hand on the Bible)? Is this verse suggesting that I should I not do that?

I don't think that's what is being addressed here. There are times that oaths can be useful (and required by law). Taking oaths is wrong when they are misused with the intent to deceive or when taken rashly or flippantly. The bottom line is this: people of integrity do not need to swear elaborate oaths on everything short of God's name to convince others that they're telling the truth.

I pray that we can be (or become) that kind of follower of Jesus.

Until next time - RevPhil

I'm bringin' back the funk

2008-05-01T23:17:00.002-05:00

This week I resurrected an old phrase I used to use all the time:

Sin will ALWAYS take you farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.

I busted it out during my sermon on Sunday (here's the link: http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/4-27-08%20cont%20PB.wma), and then my lesson last night at Bible Study fit right in the same neighborhood.

Specifically, we talked about the end of Samson's story from Judges 16. Samson was a Nazirite from birth (no alcohol, no dead bodies and no haircuts), and the Lord's strength was with him and flowed through him for the good of the Israelites, whom he served as one of the judges for around 20 years.

Previously, we recounted the time he killed 1000 Philistines with a donkey's jaw - what an amazing testimony to the Lord's strengh he was that day! Well, not this time.

Samson went down to Gaza and he "fell in love" with a woman named Delilah.

Let me digress for a moment and tackle that phrase - it stinks. No one "falls" in love. Falling is something that happens accidentally (unless you're Chevy Chase). Nobody is walking along, slips and is suddenly in love - it doesn't happen. Love is a choice - plain and simple. We choose who we love by who we choose to spend time with, trust and invest ourselves in. It's not an accident. As time passes, we may regret the choice we made about who to love, but the truth is we chose.

OK, so, having said that, Samson goes down and starts hangin' with Delilah and it gets serious. Well, as soon as the Philistine rulers catch wind of it, they go and pitch a plan to Delilah to capture and subdue Samson (and get really rich in the process). As you probably know, she agrees and she begins looking for the right time and place to betray her lover to his enemies.

Let me just say, not a great choice for Samson. We need to be more careful and prayerful about who we choose to begin loving relationships with than he was.

We should look for spiritual friends and significant others who love God more than us. A mate who loves God more than you will always be faithful and honest because they're pursuing godly character in their life. A mate who loves God more than you will always protect you and put you in safe situations because they understands how valuable you are to God. A boyfriend or girlfriend who loves God more than you will encourage you and always push you toward God rather than try to pull you away from Him to get what they want.

Samson let his desire for Delilah to blind him to the clear facts that she was preparing to sell him out to his enemies for a fat wad of cash (silver). How blind can a guy be? Three times she tried to coax him into revealing the secret of his strength to her, and all three times she called up the Philistines and tried it out! Come on dude! You had to see this coming!

Finally, Delilah pulls out the big guns, "If you really love me, you'll..." Oh, man. The trouble that sentence starter has caused the world.

Well, Samson fell for it all. He finally told Delilah the truth, she clipped him clean and handed him over to the Philistines, who promptly gouged out his eyes and hooked him up to a grindstone in one of their prisons.

Here's the question we have to ask ourselves: Is Samson really that much different that we are?

He had access to God's resources - so do we.
He knew that to take advantage of those resources and enjoy the blessings God offered, there were certain principles he needed to appreciate and live out - so do we.
He was tempted to break those principles and sell the eternal for the temporary - so do we.
He convinced himself that he could quit sinning whenver he wanted and avoid the natural circumstances of his sin - so do we.

Here's the point where my phrase comes in. Understand this - it's a biblical principle.

Sin will ALWAYS take you farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.

I'm sure Samson assumed that he could hang out with Delilah, have fun, play games, tell riddles and get out before anything bad happened. Not so much.

We've got to stop that!

God loves us. He wants our relationship to be restored - so much so that He sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins so that we could be reconciled. He shed His blood on the cross so that our sins wouldn't keep us from God anymore. He saves our eternity.

But here's the thing He doesn't do: rescue us from the natural consequences of our sinful actions. He didn't do it for Samson, and He never promises to do it for us.

Sin will ALWAYS take your farther than you want to go and keep you longer than you want to stay.

Let's learn from Samson's example. It's always better to learn from someone else's mistakes than to repeat them for yourself. We should do that.

Seek God. Strive to live out the principles of righteousness that Jesus taught. And run from temptation! Then we can spend our life exploring God's character and enjoying the blessings and resources He loves to pour out.

Until next time - RevPhil

Outbreak Highlight video

2008-04-29T14:54:00.001-05:00

Dude -

I told you how awesome Outbreak was at the New Braunfels Civic Center last Wednesday. Now you can see for yourself what 1000 teens praising God looks like!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvtKb6H8WRU

Try to not love it - I dare you!

Until next time - RevPhil

I learned a new skill today...

2008-04-28T20:02:00.003-05:00

That's right...I learned a new skill today...how to install a toilet.

It was an interesting ride to get there...and not one I want to repeat anytime soon (or anytime at all really).

Remember the infamous "dip-phone?" Yeah - the phone I took swimming at Schlitterbahn and then nursed throughout the last 8 or 9 months. OK, well, last Wednesday I was able to upgrade to a new phone, which made the dip-phone unnecessary (woo!)

So, after I transferred all 175 phone numbers from the dip-phone to the new phone - I know what you're thinking, why didn't the phone store just transfer them to your new phone? - well, the part of the dip-phone that could have made that possible was apparently damaged by the dip. Anyways - after I transferred the numbers, I took the battery out and gave it to my youngest son, Elijah (E) to play with.

He loved it! He walked around pretending to talk to his buddy Ridge and Grandma and Grandpa and just having a great time. He took it everywhere - to breakfast, to bed, to church, to "Brown-school," and yes, you guessed it, to the bathroom.

Well, this morning after waking up and heading to the bathroom to take care of some business, he was flushing, and the dip-phone slipped out of his hand, into the toilet, and yes, down the drain.

He was crushed.

And crying.

Anna was frantic.

And yelling.

And I was the one sticking my hand down there after the cursed phone. No dice. I tried fishing around with a coat hanger. Nada.

I made a few calls and decided that if the dip-phone had cleared the bend in the toilet, we might be OK. Next was the trial run. I wadded up a little TP and sent it down. It went, but not like normal. I tried again, and it went down again, but a little slower. I tried a third time and my dreams of never seeing the dip-phone again were the only thing circling the drain. It was hopelessly clogged.

I plunged, hoping to dislodge the dip-phone from its precarious position and restore peace and order to the porcelain. Negative.

The dip-phone strikes again.

So - now that I had established that the dip-phone did not clear the bend in the toilet, the only route available reared its ugly head: pull up the toilet, remove the dip-phone by hand and then re-install the toilet. Ugh.

I called Jerald and offered him a dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs from the grill in exchange for his expertise. Gladly he accepted.

And, really, the process was much easier than I expected it would be - unhook a tube, loosen a couple of nuts and voila, off comes the throne.

Sure enough, right in the bottom of the drain, hooked by the antenna, mocking me amid a wad of toilet paper: the dip-phone. A wiggle and a jiggle and it came out - hallelujah!

With Jerald's instruction, I re-installed the potty (without leaks!) and we're back in business.

Now the only dilemma I'm left with is if it's possible to sanitize the dip-phone so that E can stay in contact with his real and imaginary friends. I'm thinking about running it through the sanitize cycle in the dishwasher, dousing it with Lysol, giving it a day or two to dry out and then giving it back to the boy.

We do have a new rule in the Brown house: no toys in the bathroom.

That may actually be harder for Mom (and Dad) to obey than the kids, though...

Until next time - RevPhil

The Daffodil Principle

2008-04-26T11:05:00.005-05:00

This is a great story - and it should get you thinking - enjoy!

The Daffodil Principle
by Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over."

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead "I will come next Tuesday," I promised a little reluctantly on her third call. Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there.

When I finally walked into Carolyn's house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!" My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time, Mother."

"Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!" I assured her. "But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks," Carolyn said. "I'll drive. I'm used to this."

"Carolyn," I said sternly, "Please turn around."

"It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, " Daffodil Garden ." We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow Each different colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

"Who did this?" I asked Carolyn.

"Just one woman," Carolyn answered. "She lives on the property. That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs," it read.

The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain."

The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration. The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of creation.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world.

"It makes me sad in a way," I admitted to Carolyn. "What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!"

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. "Start tomorrow," she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can I put this to use today?"

Use the Daffodil Principle.

Stop waiting...

Until your car or home is paid off.

Until you get a new car or home.

Until you have kids.

Until the kids go to school.

Until the kids leave the house.

Until you go back to school.

Until you finish school.

Until you clean the house.

Until you organize the garage.

Until you clean off your desk.

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married.

Until you get a divorce.

Until you retire.

Until summer.

Until spring.

Until winter.

Until fall.

Until next time - RevPhil

1000+, 96, 8 - yeah, baby!

2008-04-24T09:16:00.002-05:00

What a night! I can't believe I'm actually awake and at the office right now.

Outbreak was last night at the New Braunfels Civic Center - and it was the BOMB! Lots of local churches were represented, and as Ryan Fontenot, the speaker, said,

"There aren't any Baptists in here. There aren't any Methodists or Protestants. There's only two groups here. There are people who are FOR Jesus and people who aren't."

It was an amazing night. It was without question the biggest event I've ever been a part of. Here's an explanation of the numbers above.

1000+ - More than 1000 students, parents, adult leaders, volunteers and pastors were in attendance! Praise God! There were around 650 at the October Outbreak at the Brauntex - that's like a 50% growth! Woo!

96 - 96 students answered the altar call and made a decision for Christ. This includes first time decisions, rededications and requests for baptism. Yeah!

8 - 8 of those students who responded were from FPC! Baby!

I'm telling you - it was great! We've been planning and praying and asking God to do a great thing with the students of New Braunfels, and it was better than we ever imagined!

And now we have a problem. The Civic Center is able to hold up to 1400 people. If we continue the growth curve we just experienced, we're only going to be able to hold 1-2 more events there, and we'll be looking for a bigger room! Praise God! Bring that problem on!

I left the event last night absolutely stoked! I felt like I had just taken a ride on this thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8I3mFC0MoI

Woooooooooo! Rock on Church of NB!

Thanks to all who prayed, volunteered and gave to make this event possible for our students and our student ministries. Y'all rock!

Until next time - RevPhil

Outbreak tomorrow!!!

2008-04-22T22:09:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day!

Outbreak at the *new New Braunfels Civic Center from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Students from youth ministries all over town will be joining in a night of worship, prayer and the good news about Jesus paving the way for us to have a relationship with God! Woo!

The youth ministers from churches all over town have spent the past few months praying, planning, raising funds, and breaking down walls between churches and denominations - and we're praying that this is only the beginning! Last year, we held 2 Outbreak events - both at the Brauntex Theater in downtown New Braunfels, and when we began planning for this Outbreak, we knew we'd have to find a bigger place! The Brauntex was rockin' last time, but I for one was nervous about the stability of the balcony when everyone started jumping around - whoa.

So, now we're in the Civic Center, and we're praying that soon we'll outgrow it and have to find a bigger place yet! We're sure that God is big enough!

I'm excited about what God's doing! This level of cooperation, respect and agreement between churches of various denominations and traditions is extremely unique in my experience - I've never witnessed anything like it!

Please pray for us! Load-in for the speakers, lights and other production-type stuff begins at 9:00am tomorrow morning, and we'll be spending all day getting ready for students! We know that nothing is going to impact the students of this city like the adults rallying around them and praying on their behalf! Pray for the youth ministers, volunteers (altar counselors and crowd control), the speaker (Ryan Fontenot), students, parents and everyone touched by this ministry! We're asking God for new Christians to be born!

If you're bored between 7:00-9:00pm tomorrow, please know that you're invited to join in the fun! (people 40 and over may want to hook up some ear protection) It's an amazing thing to watch 650+ 6th-12th grade students raising their hands, bouncing and worshipping God - if you've never experienced it - you've gotta come!

I'll leave a report after. Stay tuned!

Until next time - RevPhil

Exhausting...but fun!

2008-04-21T20:45:00.002-05:00

You'll notice that this is my first entry in a few days...it's been a whirlwind of busyness!

Our Confirmation retreat began on Friday night and continued through lunch on Sunday. It was a great time, but I'm really tired - spending 48 hours with eleven 13 year-olds takes a toll. I realized that I don't bounce back as quickly as I used to.

Don't get me wrong - the kids were great! We had a blast playing, discussing, praying, swimming, boating, driving, eating, riddling, talking, reading and more! I'm proud of them!

I also preached on Sunday AM, and I really enjoyed it! I was feelin' it! I was driving home today and heard a line from an old DCTalk song that reminded me of how I felt yesterday:

"Thinkin' of a way to explain-o, 'cause ya know when I'm flowin' like a bottle of Draino..."

Yeah, dude. I was flowin'. I'm not sure if anyone else got anything meaningful from our time together in the last few verses of James 4, but I left church yesterday energized and feeling like I had connected with God. Here's the link to the audio if you'd like to listen:

http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/4-20-2008%20cont%20PB.wma

On a lighter note, I noticed that both the Cavs and Spurs came out on top over the weekend. We were waiting for our table at the RainForest Cafe on Saturday as the Spurs game was finishing up, so I got to see that (and it was pretty exciting since we were watching right there on the RiverWalk)! My brother also called on Saturday to tell me about an absolutely sick dunk that LeBron had in game 1 against the Wizards. Here's a link to that video if you haven't seen it (make sure you're sitting down before you start it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPT7QXv3CW4

I think my favorite part is when the commentator can think of nothing more meaningful to say than, "No way." I love it!

Anna just got back from "Meet the Principal" night at Phillip and Katy's elementary school for next year. I'm told that Katy walked up to her and said, "I'm Katy Brown," and then immediately busted into the days of the week in German. Which, of course, left the principal speechless.

Welcome to my world, lady. Remember the face - she'll be doing it to you as long as you know her.

Until next time - RevPhil

Are we Conquerors or what?!

2008-04-18T10:18:00.006-05:00

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

More than conquerors...

If that's true, than why are there so many, beaten-up, beaten-down, depressed, frustrated, generally un-joyful Christians?

More than conquerors...

I think we're not conquering like we should because we're relying on the wrong power source. We can be more than conquerors if we would just learn to stop being so stinking "self-reliant" and allow the power of God to carry us through the circumstances of our life.

I believe that God is looking for people who will let His strength and power and resources flow in their lives so that people can see the outcomes and realize that it HAD to be God. People who will follow God into impossible situations and let His wisdom and righteousness and glory shine so that others can see what God has done and praise Him.

People like Samson. You remember Samson - the dude with the long hair and the supernatural strength. Yeah - people like Samson.

I think Samson was an ordinary guy. We read the stories about how strong he was and all the things he did and we get a picture in our heads like the guy on the left here.

I don't think so.

I think Samson was more like a long-haired version of Don Knotts (a wimpy looking little skinny dude). I think he would have been a geek! I mean, seriously, think about it - any guy who thinks up a plan of catching 300 foxes, tying their tails together and attaching a torch to punish his enemies is not some muscle-bound powerlifter. He's a little pipsqueak with a lot of time on his hands for imagining interesting ways to get revenge on his enemies.

Anyways - check out the situation Samson's in after the "fox-fire." The Philistines are so mad that they burn Samson's wife and father-in-law at the stake (also Philistines, by the way). When Samson finds out, he goes on a rampage and kills a bunch of Philistines and then goes to hide in a cave.

The Philistines are more upset than ever, so they go attack the town of Lehi in Judah. The men of Judah know nothing about this, so they're like - "Hey, why are you killing us?" The Philistines stop the attack long enough to tell the men of Judah that they're paying Samson back.

Here's where the story gets interesting (and impossible). The men of Judah say, "Oh, why didn't you say so! We'll go get him and hand him over to you - just stop killing us!" So 3,000 men of Judah (Samson's relatives) go down and find Samson, tie him up with 2 new ropes (which are very strong) and take him to hand him over to the enemy.

Now...if you're Samson, this situation is impossible. First of all, you're tied up! Second, it was 3,000 of your own countrymen who betrayed you and tied you up to hand you over to the enemy. Third, there were at least 1,000 Philistines whom you were about to be turned over to. On top of all that, you're a little skinny dude who's best move so far has been the fox thing!

This is an impossible situation anyway you slice it. And not that different from the impossible situations we face:

- Trying to be righteous and live pure in a school where all of your peers are smoking, drinking and having sex to try to cope with their life.
- Growing up without one of your parents because of divorce or death.
- Trying to move on past the pain and difficulty of something terrible that happened to you in the past.
- Dealing with the emotions of a sick / dying loved one

More than conquerors...

More than conquerors...

God's strength is more than enough to get us through any of the "impossible" situations life can throw at us! God's resources are at our disposal and can bring us safely through any difficulty - IF we are relying on Him and not ourselves.

That can be a pretty stinkin' big IF.

Let's face it - if Samson relies on his power right now, he's toast, and you and I never hear his name. But, we do know Samson, don't we? Check it out:

As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men. - Judges 15:14-15

Are you kidding me?

Do you have any idea how hard it is to break a new rope? Samson was tied up with 2 new ropes and when God's Spirit shows up in power, he busts out like he's wrapped in TP. And that's not the best part! He's freed from his bonds, and then, to attack the Philistines he picks up the weapon of choice for any tough guy - the donkey jawbone. Oh, yeah - bring it.

What happens next cements the nerdy version of Samson in my mind. He busts out of 2 new ropes, grabs a donkey jawbone (of all things), strikes down 1,000 Philistines, and what does he do? He sings a song!

"With a donkey's jawbone, I have made donkeys of them!
With a donkey's jawbone, I have killed a thousand men!" - Judges 15:16

Listen - there's NO WAY any of that happens without God's Spirit being involved. You know that Samson wasn't sitting there in the cave with a bunch of paper, plotting this out:

"I'm going to let them tie me up, and just when the Phillies think they have me, I'm gonna bust loose and go buck wild with a jawbone, baby!"

No way.

This was a God thing - plain and simple. Anyone there to see it would have instantly realized that it was God's power on display that day - not Samson's.

And that's just it. God put Samson there so that His power could be displayed, so that He would receive glory and honor and praise. Don't think so? Check this action out - this is what the Bible says 1 chapter earlier when Samson came home and suggested to his folks that he marry a Philistine woman:

His parents did not know that this was from the LORD, who was seeking an occasion to confront the Philistines; for at that time they were ruling over Israel. - Judges 14:4

Now, I'm not a genius or anything, but I think that means that God put Samson in the "impossible" situation. And when it came down to it, God was there to supply Samson with the strength to be MORE THAN A CONQUEROR.

Have you considered the same may be true for you? Perhaps the "impossible" situation you're currently in has been orchestrated by a loving God, who is preparing you, even now for the moment when His strength, wisdom, power and resources to be more than a conqueror, so that His name can be glorified.

Be encouraged, friends. We are more than conquerors - and when God's involved, "impossible is nothing."

For nothing is impossible with God. - Luke 1:37

More than conquerors...

I like the sound of the taste of that.

Until next time - RevPhil

Get eXpelled!

2008-04-18T10:02:00.003-05:00

Hey listen!

I need to recommend a movie to you - it's called Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. It stars Ben Stein (from Ferris Buehler's Day Off and the Red Eye commercials), and it's all about intelligent design - the idea that a loving God created life.

I've seen the trailers, read up on the movie, and encouraged our youth to go see it - I know they're going to see a movie this weekend! This is a statement from a publicity pack I ordered:

Notice to offenders of freedom:
Ben Stein is set to storm America with his highly controversial upcoming move Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, " proclaiming "FREEDOM" to the millions of students, teachers, scientists, and others who have dared to question the "truth" of Darwinism. Expelled exposes the Darwin elitists who SUPPRESS all who disagree with them, including: denying new scientific evidence, blocking tenure, controlling the education system and refusing to debate the subject.

If you think this isn't what's happening, check out this quote from Richard Dawkins, professor at Oxford University:

"If people think God is interesting, the onus is on them to show that there is anything there to talk about. Otherwise they should just shut up about it."

I encourage you to see this movie, and equip yourselves and your children with useful information about why the Biblical account of Creation is not just fantasy!

To learn more, you can visit http://www.getexpelled.com/

Until next time - RevPhil

My brother is a great dad

2008-04-16T20:54:00.003-05:00

Check this action out! The Browns are hitting the newspaper all over, not just in San Antonio!

Ticket winners

Jewell Cardell
Akron Beacon-Journal

Applause for Tim Brown of Akron and his 6-year-old daughter, Hope, who were recently tapped by Eric Snow's Shoot 4 The Moon Foundation and Full Court Fathers Program to receive free game tickets and more for the recent Cavs vs. New Jersey Nets game.

Full Court Fathers is a unique contest that encourages father-child relationships and invites interested fathers to visit http://www.shoot4themoon.org, answer three questions about their relationships with their children and vie for the tickets. A pair of different father-child guests are invited to each home game. Winners get to meet with Snow before each game, are featured on the Cavs' video board and walk away with gifts.

Way to go, bro!

Until next time - RevPhil

Ugh - when will it end?

2008-04-15T21:30:00.002-05:00

Man that was brutal - I just pumped a small fortune of $3.399/gallon 89 octane gasoline into the nearly-empty tank of my van. And I'm going to need to fill up the nearly-empty tank of the Mustang tomorrow - not cool.

To go along with that, I thought I had reached the point today where I could replace the cell phone I took for a dip at Schlitterbahn. So I went to the cell phone store ready to drop a wad of cash and walk out with a shiny, reliable, functions when I need it most new celly. Uh.....no. As it happens, Verizon recently changed their phone upgrade plan from "new every 2" (years) to "new every 12" (months). So, generally, that's good. I could have bought a new phone today for around $180, or I can wait 10 weeks and 2 days when my 12 months is up and get the same phone for something like $89.

I couldn't do it. So...for approximately the next 10 weeks and 2 days, if you're talking to me on my cell, and you're suddenly disconnected - don't take it personally - especially if we're in the middle of a particularly important / urgent conversation (when the "dip-phone" usually decides to fail).

Hopefully fuel prices will edge back toward a reasonable amount sooner than June 26.

I'm not holding my breath.

Until next time - RevPhil

The W.C.

2008-04-14T23:18:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago at our weekly youth Bible study, we were talking about our words - how easily they sneak out, and how much trouble they can cause. I shared the following story and a few of you have asked for the chance to hear it / read it again:

In the days when you couldn’t count on a public facility to have indoor plumbing, an English woman was planning a trip to Germany. She was registered to stay in a small zimmer, a guesthouse owned by the local schoolmaster and his wife. The traveler was concerned, however, about whether or not the guesthouse contained a W.C. (In England a bathroom is commonly referred to as the “W.C." which stands for “water closet.”) She wrote the schoolmaster a letter, inquiring into the location of the W.C.

The schoolmaster, not a fluent speaker of English, asked the local parish priest if he knew the meaning of “W.C.” Together they pondered possible meanings of the letters and finally decided the lady must be referring to a wayside chapel. Apparently, they concluded, the lady wanted to know if there was a wayside chapel somewhere near the house. The schoolmaster wrote the following reply to the English lady:

My Dear Madam:

I take great pleasure in informing you that the W.C. is situated nine miles from the house in the center of a beautiful grove of pine trees surrounded by lovely grounds.

It is capable of holding 229 people, and it is open on Sundays and Thursdays only. As there are a great number of people expected during the summer months, I suggest that you come early, although usually there is plenty of standing room. This is an unfortunate situation, especially if you are in the habit of going regularly. It may be of some interest to you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband. I can remember the rush there was for seats. Why there were ten people to every seat usually occupied by one. It was wonderful to see the expressions on their faces.

You will be glad to hear that a good number of people bring their lunch and make a day of it, while others wait until the last minute and arrive just on time. I would especially recommend your ladyship to go on Thursdays when there is an organ accompaniment. The acoustics are excellent, and even the most delicate sounds can be heard everywhere.

The newest addition is a bell, which rings every time a person enters. A bazaar is to be held to provide plush seats for all, since the people feel it is long needed. My wife has been ill, and so she hasn’t been able to go recently. It has been almost a year since she went last, which naturally pains her very much.

I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you, where you shall be seen by all. In fact, I look forward to escorting you there myself.

With kindest regards,

The Schoolmaster

Ooh, rough! It reminds me of how often I talk about stuff I have no idea about. A guy I used to work with put it this way, "My mouth gets me in trouble when I say things I haven't thought of yet." How true.

Until next time - RevPhil

After I posted this, a friend sent me a link to a video that perfectly illustrates talking about something when you have no idea what you're talking about. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Leftovers

2008-04-14T22:32:00.002-05:00

Leftovers...don't you love 'em?

Well, I've got some leftovers for you. This past Sunday, I preached from James 4:7-12. In order to fit the remainder of James into the number of weeks I have available, I took the material I had previously used for 2 sermons and merged them into one.

If you missed it, you can hear the audio by clicking here:

http://www.firstprotestant.com/fileadmin/Sermon_Recordings/Sermons/4-13-2008%20cont%20PB.wma

So I preached that material, but there is a section there I wasn't able to spend much time on. Here's end of that passage:

James 4:11-12 – Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?

There's a lot here. More than enough for a stand-alone sermon. What James is exposing here is the idea that our words reveal what's in our hearts - what we believe. And there's a progression at work - check it:

1. Our words reveal what we think of others. We are called to a caring, loving, supporting role in their life, but often our pride causes us to fall into the trap of speaking against them, which leads to judging them, and when we do, we reveal that it is our attitude about them that is out of line.

2. When we allow ourselves to get to that point, what we're really doing is judging the law. Loving and supporting others is the complete summation of the law, and when we allow ourselves to slander and judge them, in essence, we are putting ourselves in a position of being above the law.

Dr. John MacArthur has put together the following examination of the Ten Commandments which reveals them to be 10 features of love verbalized.
– The 1st commandment, “You shall have no other Gods before Me,” shows that love is not fickle, but single-minded, devoted, loyal.
– The 2nd commandment, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below”, further describes love’s faithfulness. Love is not only loyal in attitude, but also faithful in practice.
– The 3rd command, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name,” reveals love to be respectful toward its object.
– The 4th commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” describes love’s intimacy with or devotion to its object.
– The 5th commandment, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you,” reveals love to be submissive to authority, here represented by parental authority…
– The 6th commandment, “You shall not murder,” expresses the value love places in others…
– The 7th commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” shows love both to be pure, and to desire purity in its object. Love would never defile another person.
– The 8th commandment, “You shall not steal,” manifests the unselfish nature of love. Love seeks to give, not to take.
– The 9th commandment, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor,” demonstrates love’s truthfulness. Love would never lie about its object, but rather seeks that truth be known.
– Finally, the 10th commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor,” expresses love’s unselfish contentment. Love is content with what it has and wishes only the best for others.

– John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary, James, p. 223

James makes the obvious jump – if you are slandering or speaking evil of or speaking against or putting down or judging your brother, you are not loving him. You are therefore violating the great and royal command to love - plain and simple. There is no way to overlook this fact. Slander against a brother is a sin against the royal law.

Loving our brothers means treating them as we would like to be treated. Speaking to them and about them, as we would like to be spoken to and about. But instead of doing that, in pride we often try to inflate ourselves by cutting each other down. You would think that in a church, where we are very aware of the “love-your-neighbor” concept, this wouldn’t be a problem. But it is as much of a problem in the church as it is anywhere else. This can't continue!

In the business world, or perhaps at school, we talk negatively about someone to get ahead or improve our own status among co-workers and peers. Sadly enough, we are often rewarded for that effort. In the church, we gossip and talk behind each other’s back, and criticize one another in an attempt to perhaps convince others that we are more spiritual. It is something we all fall prey to. It is a practice that damages the people we speak against, damages ourselves, and damages the church as a whole. Yet we continue, not realizing, or just ignoring the fact that it is a sin—a violation of the royal law.

James says that when we openly and blatantly disobey the royal law, we are saying in effect that the law is stupid; the law isn’t valid; the law is worthless.

When you are out on the freeway and see a flashing sign that says,

Road work ahead reduce speed to 35mph

What do you normally do? You're in a hurry to get where you're going. You drive this stretch every day at 55mph and it doesn’t look like they have even started the roadwork. So you drive 55. The signs are clearly posted. There is no doubt what is expected of you, but yet you still drive 55.

What are you saying about that law? You're saying that it is not valid and that you think it is stupid and that you shouldn’t have to obey it, and so you don’t; you ignore it.

That is the point James is making with our slandering of one another. God has clearly stated His law—love one another—but we ignore that by our cutting down of each other, which says to God, "This law is dumb, and I am not going to follow it."

Is that what we want to do? When you exempt yourself from the duty of obeying the law, you claim for yourself a power to criticize and sit in judgment on the law of God. When we sin this way, we reveal what we truly think of others, and we show what we think of the law. As if that’s not enough, check out what’s next:

3. Putting ourselves in a place of judgment over the law, also implies that we are in a position to be a judge of the Lawgiver. Uh-oh.

James is trying to bring us back to reality. He says in effect, "Look, this town isn’t big enough for the two of you. God is the sheriff in town. He is the law. He is the judge. He is the only one who can lock you up or let you go free. Because only God can see into man’s heart. We only see the outward acts and so only have a portion of the picture, so we cannot pass right judgment. But God sees everything. He looks into our hearts and evaluates our actions and attitudes. It is His job to judge and to give life.

I'm sure you've heard the story of the lady reading a newspaper in the airport terminal waiting for her plane to begin boarding. Earlier, she had bought a package of cookies in the airport snack shop to eat after she got on the plane. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the man next to her was eating a cookie. She looked down and noticed that her package of cookies had been opened and the man was eating them. The woman couldn’t believe that the man would have such nerve as to eat her cookies. So that she wouldn’t lose all her cookies to the man, she slowly reached over, took a cookie, and ate it herself. To her amazement, the man continued to eat more cookies. Getting more and more irritated, the woman removed all but one cookie from the package and ate them. At that point, the man reached down and took the last cookie. Before eating it, though, he broke it in half and left half of the cookie for the woman. This made the woman so angry, she grabbed the empty package and crammed it into her purse. Then, to her shock, she noticed that there, in her purse, was her unopened package of cookies.

Ouch. We're not cut out to judge! We don't have access to all the necessary information, and it's simply not our place to judge the law or the Lawgiver. It doesn't add up. Where does all this mess start? Read on:

4. Putting ourselves in the place of judgment reveals our thoughts about the law, the One who gives the law, and finally, ourselves. Reread the last phrase of this section:

James 4:12b - But you – who are you to judge your neighbor?

James’ full argument, then, goes something like this: It is wrong to speak against a brother or sister because it is judging them. Judging is God’s business, not ours. When we judge our brother or our sister, we “play God.” We “play God” by judging His Word, when we set ourselves over Him who is both the author and the interpreter of the law. God alone is the Lawgiver, and He alone has the power to save or to destroy. When we judge our neighbor, we completely lose sight of our proper place in God’s scheme of things. Setting ourselves over others, and over the law, is exceedingly arrogant. Instead of this, we are called to submit to God in humility.

And there we are again - back at the starting point of the passage:

James 4:7a - Submit yourselves, then to God.

We really need to allow this idea to take up residence in our heart and mind. Submission isn't a bad word!

Enjoy the leftovers...don't overcook!

Until next time - RevPhil

Kindermasken article

2008-04-13T07:53:00.002-05:00

Here's the article on the Kindermasken parade from the 4/13/08 San Antonio Express-News. In my own defense, I repeatedly told the reporter that my wife's name was Anna. :)

Kids' tradition marches on

Roger Croteau
Express-News

NEW BRAUNFELS — When German immigrants settled New Braunfels in 1845, one of the first things they did was start Texas' first public school. And one of the first things the first schoolteacher, Hermann Seele, did was introduce the Kindermasken Parade to the new city.

Exactly when he did it is an unsettled matter; some accounts put the date at 1846, others a few years later. But the tradition lives on, and Saturday hundreds of costumed children marched up San Antonio Street.

Phil Brown had his three children, Phillip, 6, Katy, 5, and Elijah, 3, dressed as a pizza deliveryman, a bottle of soda and a pizza.

"We just love it," he said. "It's a fun, community event, and the kids like being in a parade and waving to everybody. And, of course, it's historic."

Mary Lou Erben came dressed in Texas Longhorn gear, with her grandson, Jackson Brown, 8, dressed in an Aggie football uniform and her granddaughter, Aiden Edler, 2, in a Cowboys cheerleader outfit.

"When I was little, I was always in this parade and then it almost died out, and now it's getting bigger again," Erben said. "For those of us from here, it's a heritage thing. It's a day for children."

The roots of the celebration may date to the pre-Christian Druids of Europe, who held celebrations to welcome the spring. But, no doubt, Seele was re-creating spring festivals he knew from Germany when he led the costumed parade.

In decades past, the parade went to Landa Park for a day of picnics and a dance in the evening. Now the participants gather at Folkfest on the grounds of nearby Heritage Village later in the day.

Chere Stratemann, director of Heritage Village, said the group stepped in to sponsor the parade when it looked like the tradition was going to die out.

Folkfest continues today from noon to 5 p.m. on Church Hill Drive in New Braunfels, with living history demonstrations, food and entertainers. Admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children 6 to 12.

What a day!

2008-04-12T22:10:00.005-05:00

Wow. That's all I can say.

We started early this morning and got our crew ready and out the door by 9:00 to get to the annual Kindermasken parade in downtown New Braunfels. As I understand it, it's just a chance for kids (kinder) to dress up in costumes (masken) and take a lap around downtown celebrating and waving American flags.

The question for parents is "What in the world can I dress my kid as with only a little effort?" Well, this year, Anna and I decided on a theme for the Brown kids - in a word, pizza. Phillip would be the delivery boy, sporting my old gear from Papa John's. Our first thought for Katy and Elijah was that they would both be pizzas. Once I had E's pizza ready to go, though, we made a change and decided that Katy would be a bottle of soda instead. So, we had it. Pizza and soda, all in the comfort of your own home, delivered by the friendly boy with the red shirt, hat and hot bag.

So we got loaded up and dressed up, and man, did we rock the parade. Last year, Elijah (the little lion) and I stole the show and landed on the front page of the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. This year, we appear to have upped our standards, because we were interviewed and repeatedly photographed by not only the Zeitung staff, but also by the San Antonio Express-News. Woo!

Anyways, we paraded, and then we all went to Seele and Anna and I spent about 45 minutes beginning to trace stuff for VBS. Ugh. The letters on the logos and stuff are intricate and after a while, the fumes from a fresh sharpie can make even the most level-headed person a little loopy. We only worked for 45 minutes because we had to take our pizza meal over to Folkfest to be part of the costume judging contest.

At Folkfest, the Brown family cashed in! Elijah won first prize in the 3 years old and under category, Katy won first prize in the Kindergarten category, and Phillip brought home 2nd place in the 1st grade category. Then, in the group category, we brought home 2nd place for the team. So, we came, we saw, we left with 2 fancy trophies and 4 red 2nd place ribbons!

We had to make a quick exit from Folkfest in order to make it to Katy's soccer game in time. So we left fast, had a snacky lunch from the cooler out of the back of the van, and then it was off to soccer (with a stop in the middle for a box of Nutty Bars for a treat - it was our week). The game...hmmm...not pretty. The other team had a couple of girls who are really good, and tend to use their arms to get the others out of the way...suffice it to say that the pressure of the perfect season is no longer something we're worried about. The best thing about the game was that the one girl on the Dandy-lions who hadn't scored a goal yet scored today!!! Way to go Jordan!

Soccer over - back to Seele for another hour of tracing. Then back home for a quick nap.

This was a day and a half jammed in to 12 hours! We're toast - and by that I mean we're really tired (I'm also toast in that I got more sun today than I needed and my skin is red and crispy).

Off to bed I go. My prayer before I lay down will be that the memories we made today will be ones that my babies will hold on to and tell their babies about someday - if that happens, the toastiness will have been a small price.

Until next time -

Dry Bones

2008-04-11T08:28:00.005-05:00

So on Wednesday at our youth Bible study, we covered Ezekiel 37:1-14. Here's a cool video I found that a guy made reading the verses with a neat drawing in the background:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF0qJdFIvcM&feature=related

Ezekiel was a prophet of God who told the people to turn to God and repent of their sins. He ministered in Babylon, during Israel’s captivity there about 600 years before Jesus was born. He gave the people hope that God would deliver them from their captivity, and also send a Messiah to deliver the people from their captivity of sin.

One day, God took Ezekiel out to a big valley. There before him were hundreds of human bones. They were old, dry and lying around on the ground. It could be that there had been a great battle fought there, or maybe these people had been slaughtered by an enemy army, maybe it was a graveyard, maybe God placed the bones there specifically for the purpose of what He would do through Ezekiel.

As Ezekiel was walking among the bones, God spoke to him and told him to start preaching to them. “Tell them I will make breath enter their bodies and they will come to life,” God said, “I will attach tendons and muscle and skin to them and will breathe life into them so they will know that I am the Lord.”

Ezekiel did as the Lord commanded him and started preaching God’s message to the bones. Suddenly there was a great rattling sound as the bones began to connect to each other. Ezekiel saw flesh begin to form on the bones, but the bodies were still lifeless. God told Ezekiel to preach to the air, to preach that breath enter the lungs, and by God’s power, give them life. So again, Ezekiel did as the Lord told him to and as he watched, breath entered the bodies and they came to life and stood, a vast army of people.

God spoke again to Ezekiel and told him that the army symbolized His people, Israel, dried up in Babylon with seemingly no hope. But, God said, he would open their graves and bring the people up from them. He would put his spirit in them and settle them in their own land again. Then the people would know that God is the Lord and has spoken.

Cool story, right? Can you imagine being Ezekiel? That would have been too cool. Like Simba and Gnala there in the elephant graveyard, all of a sudden God tells you to speak to the bones and bring them back to life – and it works! God does something amazing – bringing dead, decayed people back to life – andHe did it to teach Ezekiel a lesson about himself. Isn’t that cool? I think we can learn a couple of lessons from God as a result of this too.

With God, hope is never lost.

Ezekiel was ministering to people who had been taken captive to another country. Babylon had invaded Israel and taken the people back to their country as forced slaves. The people hated being slaves of course, but even more than that, they missed their homeland. The were being held against their will as prisoners. It’s hard for us to imagine how terrible that would be. The people cried out to God, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.”

Well, God heard their cries just like he always does. He knew that soon He would rescue them and allow them to return to their homeland. He allowed this to happen to them, but He hadn’t forgotten them. If God’s people had obeyed and worshipped only him, this would never have happened to them, but even while they were in Babylon, God still loved them and cared about what happened to them.

God is merciful toward us, he saves us from our sins, but many times He still allows us to suffer the consequences of our sinful actions. Then He comes and rescues us even when we have forgotten about Him. When we confess our sins, God will always forgive us and separate us from them as far as the east is from the west, but there are natural consequences to our sin, and God does not always save us from them.

Even in the suffering we bring upon ourselves, though, God is there and offers hope to us. He allowed Israel to suffer captivity for 70 years, then He rescued them and allowed them to return to the promised land.

A lot of times we feel like we are trapped in hopeless situations, just like the Israelites in Babylon. There are few things more hopeless than a valley full of dead people. Many times we think, “As long as we’re still living, there is some hope.” With God, though, our hope continues even after we die. God was teaching Ezekiel that He was God and that He would give life back to His people. This was not just an empty promise, either – everything that God told Ezekiel would happen did happen. Israel was freed, and they returned to their own land, just as God said.

When we are in those hopeless situations, we can remember that our God is the God of hope and even in a valley of death, God can give us life.

Life comes through God’s Word.

In the story, how did the bones come back to life? They were alive again after Ezekiel spoke the Word of God to them, right? God didn’t just tell Ezekiel to watch the bodies come back to life, He told Ezekiel to preach to them. There is power in God’s Word. Amazing things happen when God speaks. Remember how God created the universe? He spoke. God’s word is powerful and it brings life to us.

All of God’s blessings come to us through his Word. That’s why we treat the Bible with so much respect. It is God’s letter to you, telling you all about Himself, how He loves you and has a plan for your life.

And get this – this is the only letter God ever wrote! If someone comes to you telling you that your Bible doesn’t have all of God’s Word, don’t buy it.

We need to begin to treat God’s Word with the respect it deserves, and that requires a few things of us:

Read it
Memorize it
Study it
Listen when it’s taught
Do what it says

Real life – eternal life comes to us only through God’s Word.

Do you feel like you’re in a valley of dead bones?

We can get to the point that we feel like Ezekiel, like we’re the only ones that care. Like we're standing in a valley of dead bones and we are the only people that care about God. You might feel like your school is a valley of dead bones. You might see your family that way. You might look at your whole life that way. You feel like Ezekiel – stuck in a valley of deadness.

What can you do? It could be that the people around you need God’s Word. They need hope. And if you feel like Ezekiel, maybe you can be in a position to encourage them through your actions, words and attitudes.

Here's the thing: God took Ezekiel out and showed him an amazing living parable to show that life comes from Him (God).

As long as we know God, we always have hope, no matter what kind of hopeless situation we are stuck in. God’s Word brings that hope and life to us. You can bring hope and God’s Spirit to your school, your family and our church, and the best way you can do that is to live for Jesus.

God desperately wants to give His hope and life to your school, your family, our country and our church, and if we really want to see it happen, we have to live for him everyday so he can use us to bring that hope and promise of life to the people around us.

Imagine if you were Ezekiel on that day in the valley of dry bones. Wouldn’t that have been the greatest to have seen those bones clicking and rattling as they were connecting to each other? You can! You can see God bring life to others through you – just be obedient like Ezekiel and God can do amazing things through you.

You might enjoy this song, too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVoPG9HtYF8&feature=related

Have you ever seen four guys standing so still?

Until next time - RevPhil

My Blog Thoughts

2008-04-11T08:18:00.002-05:00

OK - so here's the deal.

I've probably been considering starting a blog ever since I moved to Texas. I figured it would be a good way to stay in touch with all my peeps back in Ohio, and a way for my new Texas friends to get to know me.

Unfortunately, I never got around to starting it.

So - here we are, more than two years later, and I'm just beginning. Better late than never I suppose.

I want to be a good blogger! I'm a little nervous that I won't be disciplined enough to update regularly enough - but I'm going to try - I promise!

Some things I plan to include from time to time:

What's new with me, Anna and the kids
What I'm learning from my Bible reading
Insights I think are cool from recent lessons or sermons
Things that peeve me
Generally whatever random thing I think of and want to expound on

So I guess that's it. I'm hoping this will be an enjoyable and interesting ride for us all.

Peace!

Old Items I Want to Include

2008-04-11T07:31:00.003-05:00

Since I'm just starting out on the new blog page, I want to put in a couple of historical items. You may or not have read them before. Everything from this point on should be new!

From January 14, 2007

Ordination Underway

Today I took the first step toward my ordination with the "Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches" (long name, i know).

One of the requirements they have for ministers who want to be ordained as a part of their association is to write a paper about your spiritual history, theological perspective and view of the church, then present it to your congregation so they can vote on whether they want to recommend you to the association to be ordained.

The long and short of that is this: today I presented my paper to the church here in New Braunfels, and they voted unanimously to recommend me for ordination on feb 11, 2007 (4 weeks from today).

So...it's cool! if you have any interest in reading the paper, here's a link to it on the church website:

http://www.firstprotestant.com/index.php?id=139#308

From February 12, 2007

Ordination Complete!

Well, i'm into my first full day of being an ordained minister in the Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches!
It was a fun service yesterday at First Protestant Church - my parents and my brother and his family were able to be there and it was a wonderful day.
Thanks for all who have been thinking and praying...below is an article the local newspaper wrote about the event - read on if you wish!

Local Minister to Be Ordained

By Betty Taylor
The Herald-Zeitung

Published February 10, 2007

For Phil Brown and the congregation of First Protestant Church, it is a blessing that everything that was supposed to happen in his life didn't.

In fact, the associate minister of youth and children who "was supposed to be an engineer" soon will be called the Rev. Brown after he is ordained at 10:30 a.m. Sunday in the Sanctuary at First Protestant Church.

"This is what we call a 'high holy occasion,'" said the Rev. Daryl Higgins, senior minister at First Protestant Church. "It's a real honor to host a service of ordination. We don't have these often. We had one several years ago for Anni Judkins, the wife of our teaching minister, Tim Judkins. Before that, we had one in the mid-1980s."

The service will include messages from the ordained staff of the church as well as representatives of the Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches. Speakers will include Rev. Bob Kurtz, president, Board of Directors, Evangelical Association; and the Rev. Gary Bowman, national minister, Evangelical Association. A reception will follow in Schumann Hall.

"My duties will remain the same," Brown said. "But just as a doctor becomes a doctor or a lawyer becomes a lawyer, I am becoming certified to work as a minister of the gospel ... You are saying that God has put a calling on your life. And you have a body (of people) agreeing with that."In his ordination paper, "Something Different," Brown addressed how the "supposed to's" eventually led him to a life of ministry.

"I was supposed to be a girl," he stated. "The doctors all but assured my parents they had a daughter ... but God had something different in mind.

At about age 15 or 16, the whiz math student was headed toward apath in engineering, but something happened while on a mission trip to Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.

"I felt God calling me to a vocation of ministry," he said.

Brown grew up in Akron, Ohio. He graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in the area of Christian ministries. He met his wife, Anna while they were students at IWU. They have three children — Phillip, 5; Katy, 4; and Elijah, 2.

Brown moved back to Akron after college and served as the associate pastor at Cottage Grove Evangelical Church for six years. In October of 2005, another "supposed to" surfaced.

"I was supposed to live in Ohio," Brown wrote in his ordination paper.

It was the home of his family and his beloved Ohio State Buckeyes. But God had something different planned for him.

"God was urging us to come to New Braunfels," he said.

He found himself at First Protestant Church, where the greeting and benediction still were given in German.

"I absolutely had to learn this," he said. "Because I don't speak German. I made myself a little card with the phonetic sounds. It seems to work."

And his duties included heading up a program that includes up to 80 youth from 6th through 12th grade.

Now, Phil Brown is taking the next step in what he really is "supposed to"do.

In his online biography, Brown says his life is characterized by a verse from Acts 20:24: "But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness and love."