When the funeral seemed like a church

One of the most negative things that could be said about a church service: "That service seemed like a funeral." It is not really meant to criticize funerals or funeral homes, as they have their special place. But, if someone says that the church service seemed like a funeral, it usually means it was boring, with no excitement, no enthusiasm, no life. That is not a good thing to be said about a church, where the Holy Spirit is supposed to be present and people are filled with joy, as they worship their Lord and Savior.

What happened here, this last Sunday, was unexpected, was a lot like a funeral; but turned out to be a most special time of worship. Because of a variety of unforeseen circumstances, I arrived Sunday morning, at 6 a.m. to a building that had partial power. Most importantly, there was no air in the worship center or educational areas and lights only in parts of these areas of ministry. A couple hours of trying to figure it out led to calling the power company, which would take most of the day to fix the problem.

We were scrambling, to see if we could have a morning service, anywhere. On a hunch, I walked next door to the funeral home, and called the phone number listed on the door. The director called back and said that they had nothing going on that day and would be happy to allow us to use their facility. That led to more scrambling, as we moved chairs, equipment and many people helped get everything ready for the service.

So, our service was a lot like a funeral, only in the sense that we held the service in a funeral home. There was a sense of excitement, as though we were a church that just began meeting in a rented facility. Everyone did their part, to make sure that we did everything possible to lead a meaningful time of worship. People adjusted, and focused on what was, rather than what was not. That was refreshing and encouraging. The smaller room (than our worship center) was packed with chairs and people filling them. The service was simple, with one guitarist leading the singing, a message, with no power point, and no extra videos that were planned.

And yet, we worshipped, we fellowshipped, we sensed a move of the Spirit of God. I won't say that I will be disappointed to be back in our facility next week; but I can say that I will thankful, for the funeral home who allowed us to come; and for the time of worship to our God that we experienced there one Sunday morning!

Do you remember 17 years ago?

17 years ago today, the 5th game of the NBA finals was taking place, between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. Unless you are a Rockets or Knicks fan, from way back when, you probably don't remember the game. I don't even remember who won that game or who won the series. It wasn't the game that caused 95 million people, worldwide, to have their programming interrupted, regardless of what network or local news outlet they were watching at the time (about 7 p.m. EST), to hear and see footage of breaking news. In fact, the station carrying the NBA finals put the game in a box in the corner of the screen so that the rest of the screen could be dedicated to the breaking news:

In Orange County, CA, on interstate 405, we watched a ton of police cars "chase" (it wasn't really a chase - more like a "Sunday drive" through a park) a white Ford Bronco. It was so slow and the news got around so quickly,that eventually there were people standing out of their cars, alongside the road, watching the white bronco go by; because by then they knew who was in the car: O.J. Simpson. OJ was one of the greatest running backs who ever played football, but at the time, he was wanted for a double murder: his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Say it ain't so OJ!

But, for me personally, even as I watched the chase on TV, it was not even close to my highlight that day or that weekend. It was not going to distract me from the greatest event of my life. For, the next day, I would be married to Teresa Ann Campagna, and receive the greatest gift from God (after my personal birth and my re-birth through salvation): my beautiful bride! 17 years ago, today, we were enjoying family and friends, who were arriving, as we had our rehearsal dinner and rehearsal. It was a great time of celebration. Even OJ's arrest could not take that away.

And of course, that all means, that tomorrow, June 18th, marks 17 years of being married to the most wonderful, godly, beautiful woman in the world: Teresa Whiting! Babe, I am still in love with you, and it grows year after year. You are becoming more precious to me, even as time goes on. Thanks for putting up with me, for your faithfulness to God, your effort in rearing our children, and for your love for me. I am so grateful for you, for our 17 years of marriage; and I look forward, by God's grace, to this next year of life together. I LOVE YOU!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

OOPS!

One of the inherent challenges and frustrations that pastors face is that we are forever making mistakes in things we say. Because we are talking, every week, for 40 minutes or so, we are bound to blow it...often. I guess I shouldn't speak for all other pastors, but I blow it often. And depending on your audience, they might twist your words, be offended by your words, mock your words, or just ignore them. Thankfully,when I "blew" it yesterday, the crowd at Grace gave me a break. 3 different people came up to me and asked me if I really meant what I said:

"All BELIEVERS will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell."
And it wasn't that I just said it, but that I had also typed it that way and a slide of it was on the screen for everyone to see.
OOPS!

The real danger of it, of course, is that those who do not know what the Bible says may think I was saying that people who have already believed in Jesus might lose their salvation. Hopefully, the earlier statement about all believers being assured of their salvation made them realize that I must have used the wrong word here. I meant to say: "Every person will either spend eternity in Heaven or Hell."

So, sorry to all I confused
Thanks to all who corrected me.
And thanks to God, for allowing me to keep preaching, as I keep messing it up!

2 Belts are Better than 1

...I guess... they must be...
If 2 belts weren't better than 1, than certainly I wouldn't have worn 2!
For the first time I can remember, ever, I realized that other day, that I was wearing 2 belts.
Yep -2 belts - both in all the loops of the jeans - both buckled.
How did that happen? I wasn't drunk (I don't drink) and I wasn't high on drugs (I don't do drugs). So, what is my explanation for having 2 belts on? Certainly, it's not dementia...not yet; and I wouldn't want to admit that I am just completely clueless, not realizing, as I am putting on my belt, that I already have one on. So, here MUST be another explanation.

Let's at least try, shall we? Certainly, one of the following must be why I instinctively put on the 2nd belt. I knew I might need it. For what? Good question. Let's throw out a few answers and hope you "buy"one!
1. Just in case I needed to "give the belt" to 2 of my children at the same time
[this might be difficult to prove since I have never used the belt on my kids]
2. I was, subconsciously, starting a new fad
[you might believe this one unless you have ever seen my wardrobe, or clothing choices -
however, if some of you would be so kind as to start wearing 2 belts, I suppose it could turn
into one. Please only mention my name if it actually "catches on"!]
3. What is someone was hanging over a cliff and we needed 2 belt lengths to rescue them
[you can't tell me that would never happen. If someone uses that in the next action movie, I
want full credit]
4. I like to help people and assist them with their needs. What if some poor fellow was walking by
and his pants were going to fall down? I could give him my belt
[my second one of course -the first one is mine - all mine!]
5. What if I made up this story just so I would have something to blog about? That must be it!
[that would mean that I wasn't so oblivious that I put on a second belt over the first one]

you can decide which of the above proves the old cliche (at least it will become an old cliche after it becomes a new cliche): 2 Belts are Better than 1!