Vacations

I am writing this sitting in a cottage beside a small interior lake just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. I am here with six friends of mine. We get together twice a year, once at the end of June and again the week before Thanksgiving. Each of these men are pastors from all around the Midwest. That means we not impressed by one another’s “minister stories!” We have been friends for over a decade and have similar experiences. We hang out, go to movies, unpack ministry experiences, go for boat rides, ride jet skis, play golf, eat, and talk. We actually talk a lot. It is an encouraging, healing, challenging time. And it is just plain fun. I look forward to these trips. Although it is not a vacation, it definitely carries some of those traits.

Why do we enjoy vacations and times away? Are they valid? Or have we become a bit lazy? I think a clear understanding of the importance of vacations and rest comes from the life of Abraham. It is found in Genesis 21:22-34. In this passage Abraham “complains” to King Abimelech concerning a well at a place called Beersheba. The well was in fact a place of refreshment and rest in that land of dust and scattered water supply. There are three lessons for me about a time of rest from this passage.

1. It was worth a confrontation. Abraham “complained” to Abimelech concerning this piece of ground. This was important to him. He thought it was important enough to risk a confrontation with Abimelech.

2. It was worth paying a price. Abraham paid Abimelech seven female lambs as a sign that a treaty had been signed, and the well at Beersheba belonged to him. Remember in that farming culture, livestock was currency. Female lambs were valuable; they could bear young. Abraham was willing to pay a high price for a time and place of refreshment.

3. It was worth expending energies and resources to improve it. In Abraham’s case he planted a Tamarisk tree. Now, in reality a Tamarisk tree was a shade tree. Abraham took the time to cultivate and plant a shade tree in the location he had confronted and bought. It was that important to him.

Lessons for us are clear. Where is our time of refreshment? Are we willing to confront or at least request it? It may be a regular day off or the normal vacation you are allotted but it is well worth the time. Risk it.

Are you willing to pay a fair price for this? That may mean that you give up something else to get this time. It could be some pay or some time at the office that is productive. The question is, are you willing to pay the price? And what is the limit of the price you are willing to pay?

The final question, are you willing to work to improve it? I had to make some plans and do some advance work in order to prepare for my time away. You may need to work on your schedule in order to fully get the benefit of a day away from the office, but are you willing?

We must spend time recharging our batteries. The bow that is always bent does not shoot the truest arrow. It must be relaxed between shots, or it is ineffective. When do you relax the bow?

Bravery

When we think of bravery most of our minds travel in specific directions. That direction is quite often associated with wartime actions or local security scenarios that include the police or the fire department. It could at times involve a family emergency situation where a parent rushes into a dangerous situation to save a child. Be honest now, how many of you hearing bravery think of Mel Gibson in Braveheart or the firemen at the Twin Towers on 9/11?

Let me tell you a couple stories of bravery. When my son was two years old he had to have surgery. I recall sitting in the hospital with him on my lap while they drew blood. He looked at me with tears in his eyes as I held him and he acted in brave fashion. It has been exhibited in actions twice now by my grandson Gavin whom I wrote about yesterday.

A little over a year ago as we began this ordeal where we have been concerned with his lack of growth, Gavin sat on my lap while they drew blood for the first round of blood tests. Yesterday, he did it again. This incredibly brave little boy sat on his mother’s lap while an IV was inserted and then he lay on a hospital bed for two and one-half hours while on 18 different occasions blood was taken to monitor the results relating to his pituitary gland stimulation tests.

Here is where Gavin’s situation and my son’s are distinct from the ones mentioned in the first paragraph. Each of those two little boys had absolutely no understanding of what was taking place. A wartime or police or home act of bravery is made with knowledge and then action disregarding the risk. Gavin acted with great bravery while not understanding the risks. His bravery was a result of his trust. He trusted those whom he loved to be doing what was for his best.

Have you ever thought that trusting God to be about our best in situations we do not understand is an act of bravery? How often do events happen in our life that we do not understand? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Annually? Yes? How do you respond? Do you look up with teary eyes into the face of your heavenly Father and trust – even though you do not understand?

Bravery. That is what it is. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Some will argue to call that faith. I challenge us to really analyze if there is a difference.

We will not know the test results from Gavin’s tests on Wednesday for 2-3 weeks. For now he is playing at the playground, observing the world around him, quizzing each of our behaviors and in general making the world a better place because he is in it.

Those who love Gavin on the other hand are praying and planning next moves. But for now we wait. Is this a test of bravery on our part? Perhaps. We are indeed looking up into the face of our God and trusting when we do not understand. However, in my opinion, it pales in comparison to the bravery of Gavin.

Fearless and Helpless

My 2-1/2 year old grandson's name is Gavin. He lives with my wife and me as he has since his birth. We have legally adopted him, prompting me on more than one occasion to quip; "Now I am a true southerner. I am the father of my grandson." That makes too light of a difficult situation. It is a situation with difficult choices made by everyone concerned. Each of us (my wife, my daughter and me) wrestled with the right thing to do and the right reason to do it.

I have one other grandson Gideon who lives in Knoxville, TN with his dad Richard, my son, and his mother Priscilla. Gideon is six weeks old. There will be a third grandchild in August. I am too young for this stuff, but that is beside the point.

Gavin is fearless. He will jump anywhere, climb anything and tell you to "go way" if you try to assist. This happened when I was swimming with him for the first time in his young life on vacation a couple of weeks ago and the past Monday when he was climbing at a playground near our home. I love this little guy more than I could ever truly tell you. I will love my other grandchildren just as much, but something will always be unique about this first one and the fact that he lives in a lot in life he did not ask for.

In most every way Gavin is a normal two year old. There is one exception. Gavin is very small for his age. He is only 22 pounds and 32 inches tall. (I think those numbers are correct. If they are not my wife or daughter will post a correction in the comments section.) He was very small even at birth, 5 pounds 1-1/2 ounces. He was premature by a month. Because of his small size and no embryonic fluid they took him at eight months. Trauma was expected, so when he was born the room had specialists swarming all over. Thanks to the grace of God, he was perfectly healthy and they just wandered out of the room.

As I said, he remains small. He is below all charts on his weight and height. Gavin has a small appetite. Because he is not growing, he only needs to eat enough to live and do normal two year old running and playing sort of things. This size issue has troubled pediatricians his entire life. It has not bothered us as much because I was always small when young. In the eighth grade, I was next to the smallest kid in the entire school. Today I am 6'1". But they are very concerned for Gavin.

Tomorrow medical personnel are going to attempt to intervene. Shortly after 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 22, 2005 the physicians at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh are going to do a 2-1/2 hour intravenous procedure to attempt to stimulate his pituitary gland and hopefully cause growth. This procedure requires him to not eat or drink anything in the morning and to be still for the entire 2-1/2 hours. That is asking a lot for a kid his age.

Tomorrow morning, this fearless little boy who is loved dearly by everyone in the family will be helpless while medical procedures are performed on him in his best interest. There is a lump in my throat as I write this late on Tuesday evening. Or should I say early Wednesday morning? I have a lot of love for a lot of people, some incredibly so, but tonight my love for Gavin surpasses almost everyone. I am headed upstairs in a moment to kneel by his bed while he sleeps and beg God to heal my precious Grandson and to be with him tomorrow as he undergoes pain and discomfort that a two year old simply cannot understand. We are planning on selling our home soon to among other things, help pay for the anticipated non-insurance covered cost for this procedure. They promise to be quite high. But you know what, it does not matter. Gavin is far more important.

In addition to being fearless, Gavin is one of, if not the, cutest little boy you will ever meet. But his being cute and fearless tomorrow morning will do him no good. He needs God to heal his little body.

Do you realize that in God's eyes, we his children are cute and helpless? We are destroyed and dying from a disease. The disease is sin and we cannot cure it alone. We need the intervention of someone far greater, someone whom we often call the Great Physician. That person is Jesus. Your Heavenly Father cares for you in a manner that far exceeds my love for my grandson Gavin.

As you read this, I ask that you would breathe a prayer for Gavin James Mann. Even if you read this after the procedure is over, pray for God's will and healing. God still heals. Usually he does it with the aid of MDs and medicine, but it is God who heals. I also ask you to pray for yourself if you have never received this wonderful gift of spiritual healing. God offers it freely. As Gavin receives injections that may cure his body, is today the day you could accept the injection of life that could cure your entire being . . . body and soul?

I now am headed to ask God to do what I cannot. I fully trust in the outcome. But I must wait for some time to see the result. So my prayer will also be for me and my family during these difficult days, weeks and months of waiting.

Salt Lake City – Day 4

Yesterday was my birthday. I did not allow anyone here to know. I received some calls and emails from folks back home, but for the most part I celebrated alone. That is not a whine, it was a choice. I did not want anything taking place here to be about me. Appropriately enough last night during worship there was a brief time of quiet when we were asked to recall when God called us into ministry.

For me, that occurred in my teenage years. I have never written here about my coming to faith, and am not now, that is not my purpose. Suffice it to say that I came to faith at the age of eleven. A couple of years later I attended a summer camp with some friends from my church. I must have been 13 years old. Each evening we would have a worship service they called Vespers. (That is a name I do not really get to this day. I know it comes from a basic meaning of Evening Prayers, but to call a teenage worship service by that name, well . . .) In any event, Thursday or Friday evening of that week during Vespers the speaker used as his text Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

At the end of his message, of which I recall little, he challenged us as young teens to give our life over to God for whatever He may have for us. I recall going forward and talking to one of the counselors. That night I prayed and told God I would do or be whatever He desired me to do or be. This was coming from a teen living in a very poor home, who without God’s help would remain there. I verbalized the specifics of my call to my Dad 2-3 years later, had numerous folks in churches (once our family started attending a couple years later) tell me that I was gifted to ministry. But full time – not bi-vocational – ministry did not come my way until 1994. What caused me to hold on? I was called. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Last evening I recalled and celebrated God’s call upon my life! There are many times when this call is the only thing that keeps me in ministry! So I say again, last evening I recalled and celebrated God’s call upon my life.

Salt Lake City – Day 3

Today was a very unique day. The schedule is purposely set up with some free time so you can hike, nap, talk, or whatever strikes your fancy. I decided to take a tram ride to the top of the peak here. Our lodge is at 8,100 feet in altitude. The tram took us to 11,000 feet. From that point the view is absolutely breathtaking. The beauty and wonders of God’s creation astounds you! There is still a lot of snow. Skiing is still open until July 4 for the die hards. There were 1,000 skiers up here last weekend I was told.

As we rode up I was aware of the vast number of places where water was draining as the snow melts in the heat that is presently 85 at the base and 50 at the crest. This was my first experience of watching drainage of this proportion due to melting snow. Once we were at the crest and I looked out over the beauty of the Rockies I was taken with the old Rich Mullins song, “Awesome God.”

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God

As I complete day 3 here, I rest in the fact that our God truly is an awesome God. You too my friend should rest in that fact. I do not know what you are facing today. But I know the God we serve. As they used to say in my Baptist days, “I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow!”

There is nothing . . . nothing I can or should add to that today.

Blogging About Blogging

Last week the husband of one of my staff members gave me a copy of Business Week. (Thanks Ray!) It was the May 2 issue. The cover story was about blogging and its affects upon business. This morning USA Today has a long article in the front page of the “Money” section on blogging. Obviously something is up with blogging. You are aware on some level because you are reading this one.

“Blog” is short for “Weblog.” It is a combination online journal, commentary, critique, review, etc. The first blog true blog did not come into existence until 1999 and yet blogs are taking the Internet by storm. Blogs can be online communities, safe chat areas, and discussion groups as well as digital journals. Blogs seem to be making the World Wide Web truly a World Wide Web.

Here are some amazing facts as they relate to blogs that I found in those two articles alone. (If you wish to learn more, pick up a copy of the book by Hugh Hewitt entitled Blog.)

* There at 8.5 to 9 million bloggers presently online in the US
* There will be 10 million blogs in the US alone by the end of this year
* 40,000 new blogs come online each day
* 57% of bloggers are male
* 48% are under 30 years of age
* 42% earn more than $50,000
* 39% have college or graduate degrees
* 82% have been online in one form or another for six years of more
* In November of 2004 7% of Internet users had a blog but 27% (32 million) read them. I wonder what the numbers are in June of 2005?

My first blogging experience came in 2001 when my former church had a web site we were trying to figure out how to maximize. In June of that year I was sent to our denomination’s national assembly as a representative from my area. Each evening, at the end of the day, I would send home a journal/commentary about the day’s events. This was then edited (I need editing anyway and these were very emotional pieces written late at night after 18-20 hour days.) The church and community ate these up! Our web site got more traffic that week than the rest of the year combined if I remember correctly. What I was doing was in essence was an early form of blogging.

Some of you are still saying, “So what? It is just digital ramblings and stuff of no importance.” I would recommend you do your homework on this one. Blogs are huge. They had an impact on last year’s presidential election and have been cited on the floor of Congress. There are many today who have crossed lines in their blogs and have lost their jobs. There actually is a term for that. It is called being “dooced.” It refers to losing your job because of something you wrote on your online journal regarding your employer or business.

Think about it another way. As I wrote two days ago, we are in an age of information. It is incredible how much is out there. Do you realize that most of it is digital? Digital cameras, text messages, digital photography, Power Point presentations at work, visual images in church worship, all government forms, insurance forms, online banking, digital bill payment, on line purchases, iTunes, e-bay, Amazon, etc. etc. etc. and I have not even talked about normal web surfing!! I do probably 95% of my sermon work digitally.

The author of the article in Business Week rightly points out that “the overwhelming majority of the information the world spews out every day is digital.” Blogs are just another form of that, albeit a form that is exploding. Businesses do not fully know what to do with them yet. Blogs are already used for marketing, and public opinion.

The question is being asked, “How does business change when everyone is a potential publisher?” The days of preparing a manuscript, sending it to a publisher, waiting on them to approve and edit then finally going to print months or years later may be nearing an end. Blogging gives you the potential to publish instantly! I wrote this blog at 7:00 MDT on Wednesday, June 15, 2005. When are you reading it?

Finally some of you are saying, “Okay Matrixminister, I will give you that blogging is a big thing but what is the big deal as it relates to the church?” I am glad you asked!!!

I started my blog at the suggestion of my closest pastoral friend in ministry. (Link to Terry Timm on my side panel to learn about him.) After talking to him at our bi-weekly debriefing coffee time, I decided this could be a great instrument to aid my church. Folks could learn about me as the pastor, hear what I think, and read issues on my mind. I could talk about things that I may never talk about in a message on Sunday morning. Fountain Parkers could use my blog to let folks they are inviting to participate with us learn a bit about us. They could do this in their own home with a cup of coffee or seated at the local coffee house.

If you read my archives, it has gone way beyond that. I have been astounded at the impact this blog has. Tracking software tells me there have been 5,000 readers on my blog. As best I can tell there are close to 300-400 readers whom return with some degree of regularity. All of this came with minimal real exposure. Most readers have no connection with Fountain Park Church at all! My blog gives them a sense of connectedness to our church on a safe level until they are willing to venture deeper.

I have plans in place to move my blog (archives and all) to http://www.matrixminister.com/. Do not look, it is not there yet. I need someone to teach me some more advanced HTML so I can edit Wordpress or b2evolution interfaced with Dreamweaver. This move will make my blog much more accessible and easy to locate.

Here is my challenge to folks who belong to Fountain Park. (I did not say folks who are members; that really does not matter. What matters is do you feel you belong?) If the blog is so powerful, why don’t you get one? Why don’t you post weekly or so about things you see going on. Link to me. I will link to you. We build a community and thereby invite others to join us.

Blogging is not hard – really! I did it and I am no genius. You do not have to take it to the level I have. You can use Blogger, or Typepad or Xanga or any of the other online blogs out there. All of them will give you basic templates and you can be up and running in no time at all!

“Terry, I cannot write like you. God did not gift me that way.” You do not have to. You are not me. Just write as who you are. Be genuine. That is basically what I am doing. I try at times to push people’s buttons and will again, but that is just me. You do not have to do that. Be yourself! Be respectful. Be Christlike. Do not slander folks or ideas. But write. You will be scared at first. That is okay. It can be intimidating. But as Nike would say, “Just do it!” The impact for the Kingdom can be huge! And, you like me, will grow in the experience.

Salt Lake City – Day 2

When my kids were small, they had a toy that would play the song “It’s a Small World After All.” The song is used by Disney to talk about a child’s world of small things. We as adults use the song a bit differently. We are usually referring to the close connections we find we have with others, or seeing someone we did not expect to see. For me the latter has come to be very real while here in Snowbird. I have met the brother of a pastor friend of mine in Pittsburgh and another pastor who now lives in Michigan but used to serve in a church five miles from my previous church. It is a indeed a small world and I am not talking technology.

__________________________

This morning we had our opening plenary session. The speaker was Jim Griffith. He is in his late 50s and has planted 5 or 6 churches. He now serves as a coach for New Church Developments and judicatories that are assisting in planting churches. His talk this morning was the Ten Most Common Mistakes New Church Starts Make. It is copyrighted so give him credit for most of this. I will not mention all ten mistakes, for some did not really apply to me or Fountain Park. But three were very applicable.

#1 Pursuing the Great Commission while neglecting the Greatest Commandment.

This is no doubt a very real danger for folks like me. His joke was that the AAA on his bumper sticker is not an auto club, it is a personality type. I could really identify with that. Here is a key question he asked, “Am I a church planter trying to love God or a lover of God trying to plant a church?” This really gets to the core of the issue. I must as a pastor of a new church be sure that I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and body first. If not, nothing else will matter.

#2 Failure to take Opposition Seriously

Prayer and Fasting cannot be a phase in the life of a church, it must be a lifestyle. There are four kinds of opposition he mentioned.

Tribal Opposition – This is opposition from other pastors and churches. I intend to write about this in depth in the future as it relates to my church, but it is very real in my life right now. I must admit I want to take the guys outside and show them how we handled this stuff where I grew up in North Carolina.

Cultural Opposition – Some areas will not be glad a church is there and growing. They are not happy to see land come off the tax roles.

Relational Opposition – Some people in churches get very close and then turn on you. Get ready for this will happen. This is opposition you never recover from, and you never should. We are to be about relationships, so this will happen and it will hurt.

Spiritual Opposition – We are not battling the people, local municipalities, other churches or pastors. This is not a flesh and blood conflict. It does not matter whose lips are moving, this is spiritual warfare. Do not expect the enemy to just say “Come on in!”

#3 Failure of a Young Church to Act their Age

Jim sees this as the number 2 human reason new churches fail. (#1 is Premature Launch.) We should not try to look and act older than we are. Babies do not go to school. There is behavior for babies that is normal. To dress them up as adults, does not make them an adult. There are some ministries that we are not going to be able to provide. Do not pretend we can. Do not promise and not come through. This violates trust. Instead simply say, “I am sorry but we are unable to provide this at this time.”

Now on to other work, then hit the sack for tonight and get ready for day 3.

Salt Lake City – Day 1

For years I served in a business that required a lot of telephone time. There were some folks that I would talk to 3-4 times daily. Many of them I never met in person. There were some business associates that I did get to meet. I recall that in almost every instance they looked nothing like the vision I had in my mind’s eye. Have you ever had a similar experience? We get this image in our head, and the other person does not match it.

Yesterday after landing at the Salt Lake City airport, I picked up my rental car. I left the airport to drive to Snowbird, Utah where our conference is being held. (You get really good rates at a ski resort in June!) After stopping for dinner, I began my ascent up the mountain. By this time it was dark. I was very careful since this was an unfamiliar road and to go off the side I knew could be treacherous. After a 45 minute drive I arrived at my destination, parked the car, checked into my room, and wrote last night’s blog. I then went to sleep.

I woke up this morning to go get some breakfast and as I looked out my hotel window and walked to the restaurant I was taken by the beauty that surrounded me. Here it is June and I was looking at breathtakingly beautiful snow capped peaks. Last night I was imagining what it would look like. This morning I was seeing it for myself! Just like the phone calls I mentioned earlier, my vision and reality were not even close.

As you read yesterday, I am out here for a conference. For the most part I like educational conferences, but I am not a junky by any stretch. As much as I enjoy sitting and listening to a speaker teach me something I do not know, I much prefer the times of sharing with other pastors and learning together. After day one of this conference, it is apparent that I will be getting some of both this week. Of that I am glad.

The first worship session tonight was led in total by African Americans and reminded me a lot of my younger days in white Baptist Churches. Tonight was a worship time of encouragement and challenge. Leading a new church is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in ministry, so tonight to get a shot of encouragement was good medicine.

After this meeting I had the opportunity over dessert, to talk to a young pastor in his first pastorate about the challenges related to ministry. As I listened, shared, offered ideas and asked questions, I realized anew that I love helping younger ministers – men and women. About 7-8 years ago I felt that God desired me to invest a portion of my time in the lives of younger men. Tonight as I talked to this pastor, I was reminded of that.

View from 30,000 Feet

I sit writing this at midnight on Monday evening MST in Salt Lake City, UT. I am here this week for a New Church Development Conference being put on by my denomination. My intentions are to blog my thoughts all week. This will probably mean at least five entries in the next five days, perhaps more since I have a list of things I now wish to blog about.

In order to arrive here in Salt Lake City it took two flights, both about 2-1/2 hours in length. The first flight was to Dallas and the second to my destination. On the second leg, we basically flew along the entire length of the Rocky Mountains. If you have never seen the Rockies from the air, it is a truly amazing sight. This beauty of God’s creation was in my view for over 60 minutes. Beside me sat a young man from Boise, Idaho who was telling me the names of many of the peaks. (Not that I can recall a single one!)

I have lived my entire life on the East Coast and very close to the Appalachian Mountains. I have hiked the Appalachian Trail and camped in the wild. Three years ago I rode my bicycle the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have seen this mountain range from about every angle. It is indeed very different from the Rockies. I do not mean just in shear height, although that is indeed one difference. From 30,000 feet it is very clear that the two ranges were formed in very different types of creative activity. The Rockies are sharp, steep, edgy, rocky, (hence their name) and full of cliffs. The Appalachians for the most part are rolling mountains, full of forest, wild life and greenery. It is true that both ranges contain wild life, but here again; it is different because of the differing terrain. Both are God’s unique beauty in their own special way.

But that is not my point in this blog. This is. As I flew over the Rockies I thought: A couple of hundred years ago, settlers were traveling across these same mountains. They had crossed the Appalachians only to face a thousand miles of basically flat land in the Midwest. Then as they would leave Kansas or Iowa and move into Colorado or the Dakotas they would see looming in the horizon a sight they were totally unprepared for . . . the Rocky Mountains. Almost to a person the only mountains they had ever seen were the Appalachians. Nothing in their past could have prepared them for the vast wild area of the Rockies. There was no frame of reference for them to understand what they were about to encounter. The mountain ranges are totally different. The lessons from one range would not translate easily to the other.

Here is my point. The Church of Jesus Christ is facing a future that is different than anything we have ever faced in our 2,000 years. There are more people alive today than have been alive cumulatively for most of the planet’s history. We are facing an earth that is becoming smaller by the day. The days of isolation are history. Technology has made information available in quantities that could not even have been dreamed of earlier in the church’s history. Men and women are becoming increasingly pluralistic every day. Faith is a cafeteria. Pick and choose what works at any given point in time. Next week, next month, or next year you can always change. The list could go on, but the point is obvious.

If we as the church are facing the Rockies after crossing the Appalachians and the plains, we will need to operate differently than we have in the past. Let’s be honest here. It really does not really matter what Christian talk radio, periodicals, or preachers say, most of our culture really is not against the church. They do not see the church as the enemy at all. Oh, that it were that simple. The issue is far worse. In truth, they see the church as irrelevant. They do not see the church as a player at all in the big scheme of things. That is far worse than being perceived as the enemy.

As I write over the next weeks and months, I want to address what the church is going to have to do if we are going to cross the Rockies. My thoughts will not be unique or original with me, but I believe they are true. Stay tuned. The lessons learned in one mountain range do not translate easily to the other.

Thoughts Following a Reunion

June 4, 2005 was an historic day in many respects. It was a gathering. It was a family reunion held with about 60 of my family members. We had a great time. One cousin of mine spear headed it out of her love for my grandmother, whom I wrote about the other day. (Thanks Beverly!) That day would have been my grandfather’s 97th birthday (if my memory is accurate) had he survived. It was very fitting since this reunion was the gathering of living descendants of my Grandmother and Grandfather Mann. There were maybe 12-15 who could not come for varying reasons, but in spite of that, it was a great day.

There is something really cool about seeing family. We have a lot of relationships in our lives, but those of family are a bit stronger than others. “Blood is thicker than water,” was the phrase I learned growing up.

I have to admit, while processing the family reunion, I thought about my other family. I am speaking of my spiritual family where God is Father and we are all brothers and sisters. The very mention of God as “Father” makes some people cringe does it not? In my thoughts on this I wrote to my church family in our e-newsletter basically what is below.

I have been a student of the Bible for many years. When someone asks me if I understand it all, I usually reply, “I understand a great deal.” That is very honest, because there are some passages I have not gotten my mind around yet. You know what? I am okay with that. If I understood everything about God, I would have a God my size, and quite frankly, I do not want or need a God that is my size.

If there were not “seeming or apparent contradictions” in the Bible I think I may trust it less. (I say “seeming or apparent” because after YEARS of study I am more convinced than ever that God inspired the original autographs and we have sufficient evidence to know what those were. Further, for any apparent error there is NO major Christian doctrine affected.) Hear me out on this one, because I will not take a back seat to anyone when it comes to belief in, support of and teaching of the Christian Scriptures. If every account so totally matched up that you could not get the personalities of the writers, I would feel we were being “given the party line” and not hearing the faith stories that shape Christianity. In fact what we get is a multi colored many faceted view of a God who loved us so much He could not let us drown in the mire of our own sin. He had to do something. And He did!

That being said we are only a few days away from Father’s Day. It is a time to celebrate Father’s. It is also a time in the church where we draw attention to the fact (whether we realize it or not) that God is our Father. I am fully aware of the discussions that are held regarding the use of “Father” terminology when referring to God. I am also keenly aware that no matter what anyone says, changing the noun does not eliminate issues, it only changes them.

Here is a good question. Why would God choose to use a human relational term to describe himself and his relationship not only with us, but also the relationship between the first and second person of the Trinity? I have heard, read, had screamed at me, all the usual and unusual answers. But as far as I can determine, the only real answer is that there is something about the character of God that we only learn by that human relational language that was given in a society very distinct from our own.

As we approach Father’s Day, celebrate that God is indeed our Father. He is not our abusive earthly father or even our excellent earthly father. He is not something in between. He is “Father.”

When I do not fully grasp that or other issues, I refer myself again to the previous paragraphs.

The Matriarch

I am sure that folks reading the title of today’s blog had responses varying from surprise (Why would he write about this?) to being puzzled (I thought his mother was dead, and he wrote about her the other week. Both are true statements.) I think these are fair questions, and I think both will be answered in the next two paragraphs.

A definition of Matriarch would be: (from Latin for "first mother") a term used to refer to female ancestors or a female head of a family or tribe

As I pen the words, I am sitting in my hotel room in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Tomorrow, actually later today, I have the privilege of attending the first Mann Family Reunion. Now there have been other reunions in my family but this one is unique. It will be strictly for direct descendants and their spouses of Homer and Dora Mann. Homer and Dora Mann are my paternal grandparents. These two folks have impacted my life in ways that are probably not even fully known to me, and most certainly are not fully known to anyone else.

My grandfather Homer died in 1962 at the age of 54. I will be 51 in two weeks, so I am keenly aware just how young he died. He served in World War II in the Pacific Theater where he was injured by shrapnel from the explosion of a shell near him. I was only 8 years old when he died. It is the earliest memory in my life I have of crying at the loss of a family member. I still recall where I was when my Dad broke the news to me. I actually have few memories of my grandfather. One is of him injuring himself up righting a swing set that I over turned by doing what boys do, swinging too high. He had told me not to do that or I could be hurt. I almost was hit when the set overturned. He was upset with me and disciplined me for it. Other than that, my memories are of my pain and loss when he died.

My grandmother, Dora never remarried. The pain was very real for her as well. They were married when she was 15 (not unusual at all for that era). They raised children in The Great Depression. They shared the birth of three sons, the oldest of which was my father. She lived with the fear of him being at war in the 1940s in a time when tens of thousands of American soldiers did not come home. Their bond must have been an extremely close one. It was probably the type bond to which most of us aspire with our spouse.

My grandmother never attended college, or completed high school. However, her intelligence is something that is often spoken of in our family. (That along with her keen wit which is legendary!) She loved her family, but she was/is a very outspoken person. If you do not know how she feels about an issue – you are not listening! I have a big smile on my face as I write those words and recall her sharp criticism or strong support of various issues.

She became a grandmother when I was born. She was 37 years old if my math works. My father was born to her while she was 16 and I was born when my Dad was 21.

When I was a child, she would on most days care for her nine grandchildren totally by herself while the parents were at work. This surely broke all adult/child ratios in effect today. Her “invisible fence” underneath a large tree in her back yard (that the nine of us dared not cross while playing outside) is the stuff of which legends are made.

My grandmother was one of the most hard nosed, strong willed persons I have ever met. Some would even call her hard headed, but certainly not me!! When she made up her mind on an issue, you might as well stop, she was done! And so were you. (I can smile because I can think of two or three times when I, as an adult, used my wiles as the oldest grandchild to get her to change her mind.)

Grandma has for years kept one of the strangest diets I ever recall. She is a very fastidious eater. She has survived on peanut butter and chocolate for 25 years. She has dipped Tube Rose brand dipping snuff for over 80 years. It is just “her way.”

All of this can paint a picture of a woman that is not realistic. She loves her family and they in turn love her dearly. What you can miss if you are not careful is her wisdom. I want to share one story to relate this aspect of her character.

As I have stated before on this blog, my biological mother died when I was 21. My Dad remarried, and in all honesty I struggled with how to handle that internally. It came to a head in me personally at the birth of my first daughter. I was struggling and involved in discussions with my wife as to what to have my daughter call my Dad’s new wife. It would certainly not be “Mamaw.” That title was reserved for the woman who would never be alive to hear those words. I had no malice. I was just involved in an internal struggle that spilled over into this arena.

In a conversation with my grandmother, I told her of my struggle and decision regarding the title. Grandma looked at me, and then as she looked quietly away said, “Terry, as you get older, you realize that those things are not as important as you used to think.”

She floored me! I dwelt on that sentence for weeks and finally told my wife that I was wrong, that the kids could and should give my Dad’s wife that beloved title. After all, she was the only grandmother they would ever know. My grandmother’s wisdom and one sentence response totally changed a decision I had thought was final. She impacted the lives and emotions of me, my wife, each of my three children, as well as my Dad and his wife.

My family has no paternal leader, but my grandmother is the Matriarch of our family of that there is no doubt. All of us live and breathe her influence whether we give her the honor and credit or not.

Grandma, I love you. I respect you. I may not always agree with you, but I respect what you say. Thanks for impacting the life of this your oldest grandchild! I give you the honor of Matriarch in its purest and most genuine sense.

Power in My Veins

This past week I was infused with power . . . . literally.

Here is the scoop. I have gene trouble. I did not say "jean" trouble. This is not that my Wranglers need to be exchanged for Levis. It is that genetic thing. We are told that you cannot choose your parents, or your ancestors so do not be too proud or too saddened by their accomplishments. You had nothing to do with it either way.

My heredity is a mixed bag. There are practically no instances of cancer in my direct family line, but issues of heart disease abound! My mom died at the age of 41 of heart disease. My Dad had a stroke at 48 and died of heart disease at 67. One uncle had a bypass in his 40s. Both of my grandfathers died at the age of 54 of heart disease. I am not obese, but I could drop ten pounds. Well, you get the picture.

This is not an issue I take lightly. I am aware of my diet, exercise, medication, etc.

That being said, now that I have crossed the mid-century age, my primary care doctor recommended that I have a stress test, as well as a few other not so pleasant procedures . . . just to be safe.

Last Friday I had the stress test completed which consisted of having radioactive material injected in my veins twice, walking on a treadmill till I hurt, having two separate x-rays that lasted twelve minutes each in the weirdest positions imaginable. Not my idea of a morning off!

During the second radioactive injection while walking on a treadmill with a cardiologist present, there was a “spill.”

A radioactive "spill" when you are present is like hearing your surgeon say "Oops!" during surgery. This is not a good thing. After getting off the treadmill the area was “scanned,” including my clothing. There was concern that my slacks or shoes were contaminated. The nurse, who was very efficient by the way, told me if my shoes or slacks were contaminated I would have to leave them. I said I did not routinely carry around spare pants!

I then got them to laugh when I said, “If that stuff is so unsafe and unstable on my clothing and shoes, why is it safe in my veins?” They looked at me and laughed as they replied, “Remember we told you to drink lot of fluids today and tomorrow . . . and beer counts!”

I got to work and asked everyone if I “glowed.” There was power in my veins! It was like Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty “I’ve got the power!”

Guess what? There really is power in me. It is the power of the Spirit of God that indwells every believer in Jesus Christ to empower them for service. Are you a follower of Jesus? You’ve got the power! Do you avail yourself of it?