Family at Work & Play

Saturday was a huge day for Calcium Community Church. I love the sound of family when they work together, play together, and just spend time doing stuff.

Saturday, we were family. We worked together, painting much of the walls and ceilings in the new building. We played together, painting and laughing and eating and just having a good time being together.

Our family gets pretty loud. We can be a little chaotic. We can tolerate a lot more of the noise and chaos than I thought! As a result, we can accomplish more than I thought.

I think we may be ready to try some really ambitious things.

Think about it. Pray about it. Get ready.

The Joy of People

One of the greatest joys I experience routinely is the joy of people that God sends to me. What once seemed a wonderful serendipity has become a fairly regular treat. I am blest to look up from work from time to time--computer dazed, snow shovel weary, study eye bleary--only to find that God has sent me a visitor! I LOVE IT! People come looking for information about the church, wanting to talk faith or religion, maybe needing directions or a word of encouragement or just wanting to share a piece of their history with the church and community.

Regardless of need or motive, it's always a blessing to meet new folks and share a moment of conversation and communion. The Spirit in the believer thrills to the rhythm of the Spirit resonating in another, and our day is brightened.

To each of you, I say a hearty "thank you" for sharing life in the moment. May our Lord bless you for being a warm, friendly, stereotypical (?) New Yorker!

At the End of a Long Day. . .

Sundays are commonly marathon days for pastors. Today was a marathon day. Only 14 hours after beginning, the "work day" is slowing to an end.

It might sound like a complaint, but trust me, it's not.

There is nothing more satisfying to me than doing the thing that I was created to do. And I honestly believe I was created to be a pastor. I get tired, like everybody else, but I sleep soundly, knowing I invested every ounce of myself in the thing to which God called me.

A wonderful church, great people doing the things God has given them to do, Bible studies, the new youth group, plans and dreams for the future, thankfulness for the things past. It simply doesn't get any better than that!

If I haven't said it lately, or in your hearing, let me say it now: I am thankful to God and His church for the privilege of being exactly where He called me to, doing exactly what He's called me to. I am, among all men, very, very blest!

Wind and excitement

We have tornados in Kansas. NNY has snow. So, yesterday, with all of the snow melted off of NNY and temps w-a-y above freezing, the wind picked up to near Kansas speeds. Shingles and roofs were passing Toto on their way over the rainbow. A Canadian trucker likely got right with God on the international bridge over the St. Lawrence river when a gust blew his truck over, taking out part of the guard rail and prompting thoughts of baptism. Our house shook like a pentecostal prayer meeting.

I picked up shingles from our new building in the neighbor's yard. There was vinyl siding and assorted debris to occupy my early morning scedule. Then around 8 am, guys showed up to repair the roof damage. They will be very busy over the next several days repairing roofs in far worse condition than ours. We are missing only a handful of shingles and ridge cap.

Although folks on the south side of the tracks lost power, and tree limbs fell (flew!) everywhere, the temps unseasonably mild, and there were no casualties.

We are so blessed.