Carrying around garbage

Yesterday in Tuscaloosa I visited a new church. On football weekends I often go to church up there before heading home. I enjoy Calvary Baptist which is about a block from my place. But I had heard good things about Vineyard Community Church, so I decided to go there.

Great atmosphere, welcoming community, enthusiastic worship and a very thought-provoking, Biblical message. I enjoyed everything about it. But one quick conversation grabbed me, and I don't even know whether the young lady meant to say what I got out of it.

Basically, they handed me a bag of goodies to welcome me as a first-timne visitor. The usual stuff - brochures, statement of faith, schedule of activities. But also a name tag. Well, I peeled the back of the name tag, stuck it to my shirt, and proceeded to wad up the back and put it in the bag.

That's when the young lady spoke up. She held out her hand, beckoned me to hand her the wadded up piece of paper, and threw it in the trash can behind the counter. And she said....(wait for it)...."We don't want you carrying your garbage around with you."

What an awesome statement of the church's mission! We all have garbage in our lives. Use whatever word you want for it - baggage, sin, addictions, idols - things that clutter up our lives and keep us from being everything we were created to be. Jesus came, launched the kingdom of God, died, and rose again so that we would not have to carry our garbage around with us anymore. And the church is here to help us realize that potential.

I don't know whether this mini-sermon was intentional. But it doesn't matter, because I think it was a byproduct of a church with the right attitude. They are there to help love people and help them shake off their garbage. I entered Vineyard  feeling like they get it. Before I heard a note of music or a word of a sermon.

So wonderful to be among a community of people who know what it means to live out God's purpose. A great Sunday morning. Thanks, VCC.

Another great Saturday

I love this time of year. Yes, it's redundant for me to say so. But there are worse things than redundancy.

Today's football Saturday had all the elements. Great weather. Good food. Family spending the whole day together. Football games to follow around the country. The wonderful atmosphere of football in Bryant-Denny. And oh, of course...another Bama win.

In addition, I had some visitors from the other side of the pond. Some friends that I work with from London were in town and got to catch the game with us. And see the entire campus atmosphere. It was so much fun to show them around. And I think they enjoyed it...

What do you think?

And then the day ended hanging out with family after the game. And I really enjoyed talking football and also some plans with two of my nieces. I am very aware that my nephew and nieces are now all adults now and our relationship is different than when I was their adult uncle who needed to take care of them. But tonight for some reason, I realized how much I like that. I realize that I used to dread it. But it just hit me anew tonight how cool it is to have four new grown friends...and that they will be so for the rest of my life. Thanks, y'all, for making that transition so easy. Looking forward to the next (God willing) 20-30 years.

Well, that's a wrap on September 22. Roll tide.

Why...as important as what

Then he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

If there's anything clear in Scripture, it's that following Jesus is a matter of the heart. It's not just about doing the right things, but about why we're doing them. He wants to change us from the inside out.

Today I read an article on sexual purity that was a compelling example of this principle. "True love waits" is a noble campaign to encourage purity in young people. But I'm a classic example of the question raised by the article: if the motivation for waiting is the "carrot" of marriage - when the waiting will be over - what is the motivation if marriage isn't in your immediate future? (For example, if you're going to be single into, say, your 50's or beyond.) Since the purity was temporary, until marriage, how do you respond when temporary approaches permanent?

The answer is complicated - like it is for all life questions - but the short version is this: God doesn't want us to be pure just because we're waiting for the day when we don't have to be. He wants us to be pure because we are denying our own selfish desires for a greater joy, fellowship with the Father through Jesus. In other words, future marriage isn't my motivation for purity; my faith is.

So purity in this area is spiritual discipline that will teach us to live Luke 9:23 in all areas. No wonder Jesus says elsewhere (Matthew 5:8) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

The whole article is here:  "True Love Does More than Just Wait" (Relevant Magazine)

If you'll take the time to read it, I think it'll challenge you like it did me.

Ready for the Hogs

Roll Tide! Beat Arkansas!