You Be The Judge

By Pastor Troy

A parent fills lots of different roles. Since Leigh-Ann is home with the girls she has the most diverse portfolio. She can go from chef to house cleaner to nurse to teacher to coach to activities director to cab driver to repairwoman to peace officer to MOM which means if you want to live to see your dad come home, do what I said NOW!

It seems I often get the role of judge. This is ok….not all that glamorous, but someone has to do it and it’s a whole lot better than some of the roles above. Unlike the real courtroom no one stands when I walk into the room. Actually they are usually crying over a major disaster, and since these major disasters happen on a regular basis I feel that I have pretty good job security. One is crying and the other is two feet away pretending not to hear (this is always a hoot) while playing with their alleged contraband. I always get a kick out of their first reaction to the claim of their sister.

"Huh, what? I was just….."
"STOP that’s the problem - you can’t just do that!"
"Why Not?"
"Because it’s not right."
"How come?"
"You need to share."
"But I did!"
"Then why is your sister crying?"
"I don’t know."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing?"
Then I ask the crying basket case, "Why are you crying?"
"She took my……"
I turn to the one two feet away who is struggling to keep an innocent look on her face, "Did you take your sister’s ….?"
"Well, I had it first…"

By this time I am ready to be done, so I do one of two things, I either take the advice of Solomon and offer to cut the toy (or whatever they are fighting about) in half OR I begin to tell them how blessed they really are and that they have more toys than some entire third world countries and we should just send them all overseas and their food they always complain about as well. And while we are at it, maybe we should go sleep outside on the street so they can appreciate how good they have it. By now I am on such a role even Judge Judy would be green with envy.

I really am not that great of a judge. I do find it very interesting to observe how such little kids, have learned to gather evidence for the case, make an accusation, cross examine the defendant(their sister) and then expect a positive verdict.

This Sunday we are going to examine the evidence for an actual case in which each one of us will take the role of judge. After healing the paralytic, Jesus communicated to the Jews that He was the promised Messiah…He was God! After making this incredibly important claim, Jesus reveals four different bodies of evidence that support this claim to Deity. As individual judges, we must decide to accept or reject whether Jesus is our God. During the message you will have the opportunity to personally evaluate the evidence and then evaluate your life. What does it mean to accept Jesus as your God? This is the practical application that we will discover. Please take some time to read and pray through John 5:30-47.

If you are out of town, SHAME ON YOU….just kidding :-) (see how easy it is for me to fulfill my role as judge) you can listen to the message on our website.

Cool Announcement #1:
We have tentatively scheduled the Baptismal service for August 26 during the morning service. We are planning to have a cookout at a local park to celebrate afterwards. We have ordered a portable baptistery tank and if God leads, you can designate any amount of money to go toward this purchase.

Cool Announcement #2
The new coffee shop “Higher Grounds” will be open again this Sunday. We will have coffee and small breakfast items such as muffins, etc. We are keeping it simple and so we just have a basket out for donations. Any money that comes in above expenses will go toward building orphanages through C3 Missions.

Man v. Microwave

I have a great idea for a new reality show…(drum roll) … “MAN VERSUS MICROWAVE.”

I have just come through a time of testing. I know you are thinking to yourself, a battle with the microwave is hardly enough to call a test. Well, I am weak and the Lord knows how much help I need, so He has chosen to use the microwave as my mentor.

So here’s what has just happened.

I have a stash of meals here at the church that I can eat when my blood sugar count gets low (no, I don’t have diabetes but it sounds better than just saying I am hungry :-) ). All the good ones (a.k.a. peal off the top and throw in the microwave) are almost gone, so I am left with the dehydrated ones that need boiling water. They come in a paper cup container and the directions say:

1). Shake container then remove cover.
2). Add boiling water.
3). Stir very well.
4). Let stand.

Not too difficult. EXCEPT, it’s not like I have boiling water in my desk drawer. So my creative instincts go to work.

I find a plastic cup and fill it ¾ full of water. I put it in the microwave for 2 minutes to boil the water and while waiting, I go to check my e-mail. After a few minutes I return to the microwave, open the door and see a shriveled plastic cup and a microwave full of water. NOT GOOD! My creative mind—now combined with a hint of revenge toward the microwave—goes back to work. I see the paper lunch cup and realize I should just add the water to the cup and put the whole thing in the microwave. Now I am disappointed with myself for making this so hard in the first place. I set the timer for two minutes and return to my office (redeeming the time).

After a few more minutes I return again to the microwave, open the door and am taken aback by the tragedy….it appears that someone has poured out the contents of their airline sick bag (if you know what I mean) into the microwave. This scene is disgusting. The entire contents of the cup apparently erupted like a food geyser into the microwave. Time seems to stand still, the questions of life come pounding into my head such as, “How can God allow such pain and suffering?” and, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” My lunch is ruined. My blood sugar is still low and now I have a mess to clean up. I did clean it up by the way. If you don’t believe me you can look in the microwave on Sunday.

And while you are here, you will want to stay for the sermon. Last week we studied the miracle that Jesus performed on the man that had been paralyzed for 38 years at the pool called Bethesda. Instead of rejoicing in the miracle the Pharisees took up their case against Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Jesus miraculously heals a man and all the Pharisees can think about is how Jesus broke their Sabbath law. NOT GOOD! If you want to hear how Jesus responds to this nonsense you can read about it in John 5:17-47. This week we will take a close look at verses 17-29. The words that Jesus spoke were absolutely loaded with meaning that makes sense 2,000 years later. So whether you are in a fight with the microwave or your spouse or your boss, the eternal words of Jesus will give you hope to cope.

In case you are wondering, I settled for a granola bar for lunch…the worst that can happen is I could suffocate on the wrapper…stranger things have happened :-).

I hope you have a “New Life” day….the way Life is meant to be!!!
Troy

What difference do you make?

What have you done this week to make a difference in someone else’s life? If it takes you longer than a few moments to answer this question you need to view this (it only takes 3 minutes).

I have watched this several times and each time I see it, I am touched by the moral of the story. It only takes a moment to make a lasting difference. As Christians, we are called to make a difference through serving others.

This Sunday, we have the opportunity to look at a story from John 5:1-16 about Jesus making the ultimate difference in the life of a paralytic. He came face to face with a man that had been unable to walk for 38 years, and not only did He heal him so He could walk, most importantly, Jesus gave him eternal life.

I hope you are planning to come and willing to pray for God to work in the service.

If you have any questions or ideas, feel free to contact me. I hope you have a “New Life” day….the way life is meant to be!!!

Troy

A Father's Love

On July 4, I was able to go to Fenway Park for a Red Sox / Devil Ray’s game. There is something incredible about walking into nearly a century old stadium. Even though there has been some improvement over the years I am struck by the fact that the greats such as Babe Ruth and Ted Williams played there. There are ketchup and mustard stains in the concrete that probably date back to World War I. There is a distinct smell of hot dogs, beer and body odor that form a cocktail that smells so distinct you can only experience it at Fenway. The seats have been occupied by kids, business people, athletes, politicians, homeless and scores of other people we will never know. Every seat has a story that could fill a series of books. Literally millions of people have been touched by the magic of Fenway.

I was watching the players warm up and my eyes were drawn to a particular piece of the drama. Manny Ramiriez one of the HUGE superstars of major league baseball was out in the shallow outfield grass pitching the baseball to his boy (probably age 3). He pitched several balls and the entire time I watched, the little guy did not make contact with one of them. He kept striking and his dad kept pitching. I kept wondering when Manny would get frustrated. I mean, he was so good he could hit these balls in his sleep. In fact these little underhanded pitches were so easy it would literally be no challenge at all. He was used to hitting 90 + MPH pitches from the best pitchers in the world. I was amazed at his patience and the fact that he was enjoying pitching to his son who would strike and then fetching the balls behind him and then pitching again. This cycle took place several times and was happening in a little world that was oblivious to thousands of screaming fans. It was almost surreal to watch the two different paradigms: a dad and his son playing while thousands of people watched, screaming his name and hoping against all hope for a glimpse or maybe even an autograph from the superstar.

The little guy had no clue that so many people were madly trying to fight for the attention of Manny Ramirez. At his age it is impossible for him to even comprehend the popularity of his dad, all he knows is that his dad loves him and keeps pitching baseballs to him. Manny Ramirez seemed to really enjoy spending time with his son even though he never hit the ball and there were seeming much more important things to do and thousands of other people fighting for his attention.

As I thought about this scenario, I was reminded that we are all in the midst of two paradigms: the physical world and the spiritual world. The God of the universe loves to spend time with His children. There are more people than we could ever imagine screaming for God’s attention, but since we are His kids we are the most important in His eyes. No matter how many times we strike at His opportunities He absolutely is enthralled by us….He loves us and loves to spend time with us.

This Sunday, the sermon will be from John 4:43-54. This is the story of how Jesus healed the nobleman’s son. It is a beautiful picture of a man who dearly loved his dying son and was willing to do anything to help him. In his desperation he heard that Jesus was in the area and so he left to plead with Jesus to heal his son. This was an adventure of faith in which a nobleman experienced that love that incredible that Jesus has for every person. We can all experience this love if we are willing to take an adventure of faith. Please join me in praying for God to feed our souls and change our lives through the Sunday service.

I hope you have a “New Life” day….the way life is meant to be!!!
Troy