Better to go into a house of mourning... (Eccl. 7:2)

I was honored recently to share at the funeral service for a dear lady at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church.  Selena was born in 1927.  She lived during a challenging time in our history, as a teenager in World War 2 and as a registered nurse throughout the Civil Rights Movement years.  As I sat in the packed auditorium of the church where she had faithfully served as a member and teacher for decades, I contemplated how her world changed in that lifetime.  People told stories of how Selena had touched their lives in profound ways.  And I learned so much I had never known about her.  She and her sister have been a part of our Community Bible Class for the past 20 years.  Just a month before her homegoing, she stopped me for clarification.  "Now, when I am teaching this to my class, I want to get it right...."  May I finish my race still learning and growing like that.

Understudy Paw Paw

Sometimes it's the little things.  A few days ago, my nearly two year old granddaughter decided it was time to talk with Paw Paw.  As we Face Timed together, she pulled a tissue from the Kleenex box in Chattanooga and held it up to the camera as if giving it to me.  I grabbed a tissue from my box in Memphis, held it up to the camera, and pretended to drag her gift through the computer screen.  Her look of surprise turned to a knowing twinkle in the eye and then laughter.  Magic!  The original "Paw Paw"--Charles Finney--would have been proud.  He was the real Paw Paw, the guy who brought his special brand of sparkle into the life of Lily's mom for nearly 30 years.  Lily met him only briefly in the final fleeting moments of his remarkable, dazzling, fun-filled, touched-by-God's-grace life.  She was too young to remember those moments.  As the unworthy understudy, my job is to keep the magic alive.  I accept the challenge.

 “But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.” 

Sam Gamgee 

WISE GUY

Speaking on Hebrews 4 recently, I spent some time trying to think of someone who captured the idea of enjoying God’s rest here & now.  I was thinking of some older saints I know & admire, but my favorite example turned out to be a 23-year-old guy who won an Olympic Gold Medal in Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe at Sochi.  His name is David Wise.  NBC published an article about him, & the headline caught my attention:  “David Wise’s Alternative Lifestyle Leads to Olympic Gold.”  That “alternative lifestyle”?  He’s 23.  He’s married.  He has a 2-year-old daughter.  He goes to church regularly.  He thinks one day he may become a pastor.  Rather than take offense at the headline, I think David Wise should wear it as a badge of honor.  The Christian life is not the norm.  Certainly not in the ranks of snowboarders & freestylers.  He has chosen the path less traveled.  And listen to his words:  “When you’re out there skiing for something bigger than just yourself, it just takes a lot of the pressure off for me.  I’m happy & content, fulfilled.  I have an amazing life outside of skiing.  I don’t have to perform at any time, I just get to go out and do what I enjoy doing.”  He has entered into “God’s rest”!  Who would not want to say the same thing?  Maybe the headline writer was trying to be a little snarky.  The article had nothing but praise and respect for this young man.  May his tribe increase.

FACING THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE

The Book of Hebrews is called a "letter," but it doesn't start out like one.  And it doesn't read like one.  And we don't even know who wrote it.  For that matter, we don't really know to whom it was written.  If you've read through Hebrews, maybe you have wondered about the many Old Testament allusions, gotten a bit lost in the discussion of Melchizedek, tried unsuccessfully to decipher the warnings of chapter six, or been tempted to move on to more discernible portions of Scripture.  We begin 2014 with a sense of uncertainty.  Everything from jobs to healthcare to the meaning of marriage is in question.  Hebrews is actually a highly relevant message for such turbulent times.  Hope you can join us on this adventure!

Reclaim the Wonder

It is tempting to get bent out of shape by retailers who entice me to purchase Christmas gifts from them while steadfastly avoiding use of the word “Christmas.”  Seems like a really bad long-term business plan.  I could get cynical over the postal service issuing a Hanukkah stamp that reads “Hanukkah,” a Kwanzaa stamp that reads “Kwanzaa,” and that other stamp picturing a gingerbread house for no apparent reason.  But I have decided to skip the whole curmudgeon thing during this wondrous time of the year.  For too long, we’ve complained about stores commercializing Christmas.  (Be careful what you wish for.)  Now they are treating this part of the year with happy holiday vagueness.  Okay, it does feel a bit like George jumped off the bridge and we’ve all moved to Potterville.  Or Narnia, where it’s always winter but never Christmas.  But what an opportunity to seize the day, introducing the mystery of Christ into a world unaware.  Reclaim the wonder.

Note from the Pastor

You will hear us talk a lot about the church family here at Open Door. We are a bunch of imperfect people who take our relationships with one another very seriously and consider our commitment to each other a God-given responsibility. Learning to love God involves time in His Word, time in His presence, and time with His people. We seek to challenge one another in every good way to love Him with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.