sparks

I received a phone call today from a dear friend that I haven't seen in a few years; Fred Weber. I was on a search committee once, looking for a Minister of Music and Fred's resume caught our attention. I can't remember why his stood out over the rest, but it just did. What concerned us the most about calling him for an interview, was that he and his family lived in Texas. And, after a few conversations on the phone, I got the chance to meet him and his family face to face......and there was just something about him. Obviously, his love of music; but I think it was more his desire to bring out the gift of music from within everyone who had a part in the music ministry; from the children's choirs, all the way to the Adult Choir. He didn't just want singers and musicians in the choirs; Fred was always looking for ways to let individuals discover a gift that God had given them, and then would allow them to use that gift in the church. I was one of those individuals. I sang in the choir. I rehearsed each week. Fred would challenge me with a small solo part, once in a while. He gave me a chance to play my guitar and lead the music for the early service. Fred was excited when he discovered that I had been playing with a few musicians in the church, and that we had played at some area church events. He gave us an opportunity to play in a service........more than once.
I have always enjoyed playing music in a band of some sort. I enjoy playing Christian music live. When Fred let that combination come together in a church setting; a spark started to become a flame. It was like......for the first time.....I was being used by God to be a part of something bigger than me. Bigger than a choir robe. Bigger than special music for the offering time. Bigger than a solo. Almost too big to grasp, but worth the trying. Excitement grew inside me, and the flame became a call; a call to search out God and to reach out to grasp His hand, and lead me to where I am suppose to be...........leading worship. And what I have come to realize, is that, what I thought was a burning flame; is just another spark......a bigger spark than before, but still a spark. A new spark. And every week, the singers and musicians, that join me to lead High Rock in worship, fan that spark and it is getting bigger. I remember the first spark 4 years ago here at HRCC, and I have seen the flames of worship get bigger and bigger. But, I haven't forgotten the spark that Fred helped me to discover years before that. And I have been blessed ever since. Thanks Fred.

UnChristian

I apologize for not posting sooner. I mentioned in my last blog that I did some reading while on vacation, and I wrote that I would tell more about what I read in my next blog. Now that I have kept you checking for two weeks; only to be dissappointed again and again, here ya' go. I had been reading a book entitled, UnChristian. A lot of it is filled with statistics from the Barna Group about how different groups of people view Christians. I guess by the title, you probably know how we are viewed.........we are not very Christian in their definition of what a Christian should be like; how we act toward others; how we treat others; how we accept, or don't accept certain people. I know......I know. It doesn't sound like the kind of book that is going to be very encouraging for us, as believers in Jesus Christ, but I have to say......it spoke very loud to me, and I found encouragement from it. Let me explain:
I had been reading one day about how a pretty large percentage of people were questioned about what they thought was missing, or lacking in the personality of a "Christian". Their response was that we (Christians) don't really care so much about the person, as much as we care about "chalking up another one for the Kingdom"(my paraphrase). That hurt at the time. But, the more I thought about it; the more I started looking inside and asking myself.....is this true? How can I know if I am like this statement? Now the surprise.....God must have been reading along with me, because he gave me a chance to experience if I was UnChristian.
A thunder storm came through Hilton Head and knocked out our cable. So I, like any other vacationer would do, called the maintenance office to report it. I let them know that I didn't need them to come and fix this right away. Its late Friday; around 5:30, and I just wanted them to know that it wasn't working, and they may need to get it fixed before the next family comes in and finds it not working. I mean, I have my family with me.......we have books to read, places to go, PS2, and board games. We can survive. 10 minutes later, Hugh shows up at our door.......to fix our cable. I help him move some furniture to get to all the wiring. we both struggle for quite a while, and he determines that the cable box is fried. He doesn't have that piece, and only the cable company can fix it, but he says that he will stay there and wait til they can come.......it may be a few hours. I explain that we are fine; we don't need the cable; he doesn't need to wait. This surprised him. I wasn't the typical visitor he comes in contact with. I asked him why he was working so late on a Friday. He told me that he was wanting to call it a day at 6:00 so he could drive to Columbia, almost 3 hours away, to see his brother in the hospital with cancer. Hugh is the only one in their family with the same blood-type as his brother. He helps to give his brother a little more time here on earth with his family..........Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. "What are you doing here working on my cable?" I told him to go.....leave.....this is his brother......family comes first. We continued talking as we went outside to his service van. He kept saying, "I have never met anyone like you". I asked if I could pray for him, and his brother, and he gave me the strangest look. I told him that I was a pastor and that I would like to pray with him. So, there at his van.........in the parking lot......in public......we prayed.......and Hugh cried. Then he gave me one of those big, long hugs........saying, "I've never met anyone like you".
May we live and act in such a way that others say, "I've never met anyone like you". May we become more Christ-like. If you read the Bible close enough........you will see that a lot of people "had never met anyone like Him".

Back home

I haven't blogged recently for the simple fact that I was on vacation with my family; Karen, Joshua, Kristen, and her husband, Marshall. We always have a good time when we go away as a family, and this year was no exception. We enjoyed a restful week in Hilton Head, SC. This was the third time that we have vacationed in Hilton Head, and we have enjoyed each trip. This year was no different. We had a nice place to stay; the pool was never overcrowded; the beach is wide and calm; the food is excellent; and everything is so clean. Every time I take a vacation, or even just some time off, I carry along a book, or two. My plan is usually to relax and read at some point during this week. When Kristen and Joshua were younger, reading did not happen. Vacations were constant go...go...go. And I soaked that time up like a sponge. I am a go...go...go type person. So, to even think about a vacation as a time to relax......are you kidding? But times, they do change. And I did sit, relax, and read. (I'll tell what I read in another blog.)
I'm sure a lot of you reading this will agree that the hardest part about a vacation is going home. You know that you need to get back home, but when you do, you are just so tired. Have you ever heard the statement, "I need a vacation to rest up from my vacation"? Yeah; you know the saying. I know I've said it before. It's kind of like jet-lag. "It's good to be back home, but I could sure use some time off now." Right? This vacation was not like that. I had a great time. I got the chance to do some things with the people that I love;my family........oh yeah, and relax.
And now, I'm back home. I'm not tired. I don't need time off to recover from a vacation. Why? I'm not sure. Could it be that in the past, like a lot of people, I looked at life as work and when we look at life that way, we don't want to come back home from vacation. We don't really want to recover, we just don't want to go back to a life that is work. Maybe we should look at life the way we look at a vacation......fun and relaxing. There is always a chance to do something with people that you love to be around. And, we should enjoy the opportunities that we get to relax, and take advantage of them.
So, what did I do when I got back home?.........I headed to church for rehearsal; a chance to do something with people I love to be around.......Praise!!