For those of you who have the time this busy holiday season to look at this blog, I do not want to disappoint you with a lack of an update. You visit here expecting something, and you have found it. This is your update, and I will admit it has been poor so far. In order to remedy that, let me share with you a gem of illumination.
It seems to me, that everyone at the original Christmas celebration, you know, the one in Bethlehem, had great expectations. In fact, everyone who sought out Jesus, throughout His life, came with expectations. Now I encourage you to verify this next statement or debunk it. Those who came to Jesus with selfish expectations were disappointed, and those who came with unselfish expectations were delighted.
What does that say about the way we should approach Christmas in 2007?
Monday, December 24, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Monday Debrief
I started this post on Monday and then was distracted by life. Isn't that always the way it is. We make plans, even minor plans, and they get interrupted because something else becomes urgent. The urgent trumps the important.
Anyway, on Monday I was trying to tell you about our return home from the 50th anniversary celebration. We got home Sunday night. It was a joyous and exhausting weekend. I am glad to have been a part of it.
We had an interesting excursion on Sunday morning. We visited Second Baptist Church, Houston. I like visiting other churches when I can. One of the treats, we enjoy on Summer vacations is visiting with congregations small and large. Second Baptist would fall into the large category. It was very easy to slip, undetected, into the crowd of 25,000 that worships on their five campuses. This church has an average attendance of more than 4 times the number of people living in Nashville, not to mention those dead in Nashville.
On that Sunday morning, the Second Folks presented their Christmas program. It was outstanding. I hesitated when writing the first sentence in this paragraph because I am not sure how Second Baptist refers to their congregation. Many Baptist church call their congregations "family." We do that. We are the Ridgeway Family.
The family title has a closeness connotation that fits in most small churches. As a family we love each other, tolerate each other, take care of each other, and know each other. I am sure Second Baptist members are taught to love and care for each other. I am not sure how well one can get to know 25,000 other people.
Maybe, they are the Second Baptist Flock. A flock hangs out together, has a shepherd, eats a lot, and generally does everything as a group. But at Second, it seemed that everyone was doing their own thing. Walking on their campus gave me the impression of going to the mall. There was a lot of activity and a lot of space in which to do it, but everyone has their own interests in being there. Instead of a flock, they were more like a herd, altogether in the same general location but each member finding their own place to graze or explore.
Family and flock didn't seem right, so I just called them folks. Good folks they were. Their worship was moving, inspiring, and nourishing. I was glad to have been a part of the herd.
Here comes life. Gotta go.
Anyway, on Monday I was trying to tell you about our return home from the 50th anniversary celebration. We got home Sunday night. It was a joyous and exhausting weekend. I am glad to have been a part of it.
We had an interesting excursion on Sunday morning. We visited Second Baptist Church, Houston. I like visiting other churches when I can. One of the treats, we enjoy on Summer vacations is visiting with congregations small and large. Second Baptist would fall into the large category. It was very easy to slip, undetected, into the crowd of 25,000 that worships on their five campuses. This church has an average attendance of more than 4 times the number of people living in Nashville, not to mention those dead in Nashville.
On that Sunday morning, the Second Folks presented their Christmas program. It was outstanding. I hesitated when writing the first sentence in this paragraph because I am not sure how Second Baptist refers to their congregation. Many Baptist church call their congregations "family." We do that. We are the Ridgeway Family.
The family title has a closeness connotation that fits in most small churches. As a family we love each other, tolerate each other, take care of each other, and know each other. I am sure Second Baptist members are taught to love and care for each other. I am not sure how well one can get to know 25,000 other people.
Maybe, they are the Second Baptist Flock. A flock hangs out together, has a shepherd, eats a lot, and generally does everything as a group. But at Second, it seemed that everyone was doing their own thing. Walking on their campus gave me the impression of going to the mall. There was a lot of activity and a lot of space in which to do it, but everyone has their own interests in being there. Instead of a flock, they were more like a herd, altogether in the same general location but each member finding their own place to graze or explore.
Family and flock didn't seem right, so I just called them folks. Good folks they were. Their worship was moving, inspiring, and nourishing. I was glad to have been a part of the herd.
Here comes life. Gotta go.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
My Tribute
I won't be at Ridgeway this Sunday. B.C. Bowers will be our guest preacher. B.C. is a lay preacher and a member of the church that helped rear me in Wake Village.
I won't be at Ridgeway because I'll be in Baytown helping celebrate the 50th anniversary of my inlaws, Richard and Betty Steel. I know I have spoken of them in past blogs, but I come not to bury them but to praise them.
I won't be at Ridgeway because I'll be in Baytown helping celebrate the 50th anniversary of my inlaws, Richard and Betty Steel. I know I have spoken of them in past blogs, but I come not to bury them but to praise them.
Dr. and Mrs. E. Richard Steel of Baytown
will celebrate their 50th anniversary on
December 21, 2007.
Their children include
Rick and Melody Steel of Oak Ridge North, Texas
December 21, 2007.
Their children include
Rick and Melody Steel of Oak Ridge North, Texas
and Phil and Beth Holder of Nashville, AR.
They have four grandchildren,
Kayla and Kasey Steel and Nick and Alex Holder.
Richard was pastor of Cedar Bayou Baptist Church for 24 years
Richard was pastor of Cedar Bayou Baptist Church for 24 years
and Mrs. Steel was employed by GCCISD at Harlem Elementary for 21 years.
The couple are long time residents of Baytown.
Their children invite friends to a reception
at Cedar Bayou Baptist Church
on Saturday, December 15th,
from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
No gifts please.
The greatest product of this marriage was, of course, my wife. The third greatest would be her brother. The second greatest is reserved for an item to be named later. I would not want Rick to be thought of as "number 2." That phrase has childish bathroom connotations.
Richard and Betty have been great inlaws. I am not just saying that because we have always lived a long distance from them. I think greatness can be evaluated by the debt of gratitude owed. We owe truly great people an expression of thanks. I am grateful for Richard and Betty.
Andrae Crouch wrote a song we used to sing in church. Though he wrote it for the Lord, the sentiment in some of the lines expresses my heart. He wrote:
How can I say thanks
For the things you have done for me,
Things so undeserved,
Yet you gave to prove your love for me.
The Steels are givers. For those who deserve and those who don't deserve, they give. They each devoted their lives to service, as a pastor and a teacher. All they have done in their professional and personal lives has been as servants--giving of themselves to others.
As the kids would say, "Let me go all Andrae Crouch again on ya."
To God be the glory,
To God be the glory,
To God be the glory,
For the things He has done.
And for the things you have you done, Richard and Betty.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
End of the Year Specials
Each year ends in busyness. Not just Christmas shopping, but important work completion. Ridgeway is busy with budgets and team assignments. Although it is a busy time, it is also a time to take advantage of some unique opportunities. Therefore I present this list of:
“Special things you can do during the Christmas Season that would get you committed to a mental institution at other times of the year.”
Set your alarm clock on Thanksgiving night. Get up at 3 a.m. Drive 50 miles to sit outside a store for an hour in the cold. Save $10 on a gift you would not have bought otherwise to justify spending money you don’t have on gifts you don’t like for people you barely know.
Send your children to school in their bathrobes. Have them take part in the crowd on stage in the auditorium that is singing sentimental songs about the weather.
Tell a fat person it’s okay to overeat.
Cut down a live tree and put it in your living room. Take lights outside and scatter them around your yard. Hang your socks on the fireplace mantle.
Stop your car in front of a stranger’s house. Get out and admire the way they have decorated their home. Walk up on the porch and start singing.
Put on a fake beard and stocking cap. Walk into public places and ask the people you meet if they have been naughty or nice.
Give tightly wrapped packages to people you don’t know. Don’t tell them what is inside. Tell them not open them until the 25th because you don’t want them to miss the big surprise inside.
Hide brightly decorated eggs in your backyard. (Oops, sorry, wrong time of year for that.)
Get a bunch of friends together. March down Main Street together. Have some of them play musical instruments loudly. Have others drive really slow moving decorated vehicles. Run all the traffic lights. Throw candy at people on the sidewalks.
Attempt to make fudge.
Buy and eat a fruitcake.
I hope you enjoy the holidays.
“Special things you can do during the Christmas Season that would get you committed to a mental institution at other times of the year.”
Set your alarm clock on Thanksgiving night. Get up at 3 a.m. Drive 50 miles to sit outside a store for an hour in the cold. Save $10 on a gift you would not have bought otherwise to justify spending money you don’t have on gifts you don’t like for people you barely know.
Send your children to school in their bathrobes. Have them take part in the crowd on stage in the auditorium that is singing sentimental songs about the weather.
Tell a fat person it’s okay to overeat.
Cut down a live tree and put it in your living room. Take lights outside and scatter them around your yard. Hang your socks on the fireplace mantle.
Stop your car in front of a stranger’s house. Get out and admire the way they have decorated their home. Walk up on the porch and start singing.
Put on a fake beard and stocking cap. Walk into public places and ask the people you meet if they have been naughty or nice.
Give tightly wrapped packages to people you don’t know. Don’t tell them what is inside. Tell them not open them until the 25th because you don’t want them to miss the big surprise inside.
Hide brightly decorated eggs in your backyard. (Oops, sorry, wrong time of year for that.)
Get a bunch of friends together. March down Main Street together. Have some of them play musical instruments loudly. Have others drive really slow moving decorated vehicles. Run all the traffic lights. Throw candy at people on the sidewalks.
Attempt to make fudge.
Buy and eat a fruitcake.
I hope you enjoy the holidays.
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