Boom goes the dynamite!

I was watching the baseball playoffs last night something pretty cool happened.  In the bottom of the 8th inning the Boston Red Sox came back to tie the game and then eventually won the game in the bottom of the 9th.  Tracy could barely contain her excitement because she lives for playoff baseball!  Now I know what you're thinking...that doesn't sound very cool or exciting.  Well, if you had been watching the game you would have thought there was no chance the Red Sox would be able to win.  In fact ESPN said their chances of winning were less then 4%.  For 7 innings the Detroit Tigers had dominated the Red Sox to the point the hitters looked dumbfounded at the plate.  To top it off the Red Sox were down 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th and facing a Detroit bullpen that had been lights out.  I promise there's a point to all of this!  It would have been easy for the Red Sox to just pack it in.  They could have felt it wasn't their night, everything was going against them, and they should just wait for the next game and hope things were better.  Instead, David Ortiz hits a game tying home run and changes the whole complexion of the game and series.  A great lesson in not giving up hope...ever.
Not giving up in sports, and of course life, is something I've been trying to instill in my boys.  I understand they are still very young in their sport's careers, but I really want them to understand that no matter how tough the circumstances you don't give up.  Sports gives us a great opportunity to teach that lesson over and over again.  In my limited experience coaching the boys I see how easily they get down, blame each other, and generally pout when things don't go their way.  The idea of building each other up and working as a team isn't something they have completely grasped yet.  As I see them play more and more I hope they grow into this, but I wonder if we ever grow into that mindset completely.  Ha, I think teamwork is a foreign concept in Washington, but I digress.
As adults I think we too can be quick to get down, blame others, and generally pout when things go badly.  I know it's easier for me to scapegoat somebody or something instead of looking in the mirror.  I also know it is sometimes easier to tear down instead of work together and build up...especially if you may or may not particularly like who you are working with.  Maybe my second grade football team is simply a reflection of what we are like as adults.  I'd like to think we've grown but have we?  What is our reaction when the sledding gets tough?  Do we pull our boots on a little tighter and work harder or do we complain and blame the world?  What happens to our spiritual life when we hit one of life's valleys?  Do we blame God and turn away from God because we think it's obvious God doesn't care about us any more?  Or do we continue to pray and have faith that there will be light at the end of the tunnel knowing we may not understand our circumstances now but trusting in God to walk with us?  I know I find complaining pretty easy.  I also know and have seen the rewards of working hard through obstacles and tough times only to see faith rewarded and lessons learned.  So, take it from a second grade flag football coach...you got to be willing to work together as a team, you can't give up, and you have to have faith that the Spirit will guide you through. 

Kids and their energy!

How many times have I thought when watching my kids I'd like to have a tenth of their energy?  How many times have you thought that?  Kids seem to have an endless supply.  I'm not sure, but when God made my youngest son Alex I think he accidentally gave him twice the dose of energy and spirit!  The things that kid comes up with and the non-stop action, unless Tom & Jerry is on, is enough energy to power a small town.  But I digress.  I think kids have a lot to teach us adults, and I was reminded of that fact yesterday during church and Sunday school.
Before Sunday school starts I like to stand in the hallway and watch the kids come in.  One of the reasons I do that is because it is awesome to see the excitement they have on their faces.  Well, most all of them, there are a few that wish they were still sleeping, but the vast majority are excited to see their friends and genuinely excited to come to Sunday school.  Those smiles can't help but lift my spirits for the day also.  As I watch them file past to their rooms and I see their smiling faces I wonder how many adults will come to church with the same exuberance and energy?  While there are a few the percentages are lower for sure.  Now, I don't expect the adults to come sprinting down the church aisle to their seats and I don't expect them to hug, punch, high five, give piggy back rides and so on to their friends in worship, but I often wonder what emotions they, and I, bring to worship?  Is it just another obligation they need to fulfill?  Is it simply another check mark on their list?  Or is it genuine happiness and praise that bring them to worship to see friends, to experience the living God, and to be reminded that we aren't alone in this crazy adventure called life.  I often wonder how different worship would be if we all came with the same amount of happiness and appreciation to be there instead of our grown up sensible ways of being.
The second thing I learned on Sunday, or at least was reminded of, was the energy and joy kids bring to a worship service.  I put in our church newsletter a month or two ago an article that praised and thanked moms and dads for bringing their kids to worship.  If anyone has brought a small child to a worship service you know the nerve racking feeling.  You think every noise is a terrible interruption and all eyes are looking at you wondering why you can't control your kid.  Well, I say the heck with control!  The noises that kids make, as long as the noises aren't screams at the very tops of their lungs for minutes on end, and the hustle and bustle they create bring an energy and joy to a worship service that nothing else can.  Worship services aren't meant to be somber, quiet reflection for a solid hour.  There is some time for that, but we are worshiping a living God and a Spirit that dances with us and there's nothing completely quiet and somber about that!  We are a community, and communities are made up of different people and we need to be reminded of that. 
People ask me all the time how I keep my concentration when there's noise going on in the congregation.  I keep my concentration because I absolutely welcome the noise and hustle and bustle.  There's isn't much worse then looking out over a congregation with no kids and not much activity.  The energy and joy the young ones bring lift my spirits, and I bet if we're all honest with ourselves they lift our spirits too.
Kids can still teach us old adults something after all.  They remind us to have fun in life, they fill us with joy and energy, even though they can be exasperating at times, and maybe most importantly they remind us that worshiping God is meant to be fun too!

My time is coming

I've probably ranted about this before, and maybe even in this space, but this topic has been on my mind lately so I thought I would put some rambling thoughts to screen.  Kid's schedules are nuts!  I quite often hear of parents shuttling kids to and from places after school, before school, Saturday, Sunday, and almost any time in between.  It seems to me that some how we've equated being busy with being successful.  I also wonder how many of the activities I see kids in are truly for the kids or do mom and dad push too much.  Is there something wrong with just being at home for a night with nothing to do but be a kid?  Does an unscheduled day, or even hour, somehow mean we're not living up to our full potential?  Good golly I hope not.
I titled this post "my time is coming" because right now my boys are in 2nd grade and preschool.  Only one is involved in any extracurricular sports so we're not running around like mad...yet.  But, even our schedule gets crazy when you throw in some church stuff and community activities and we don't even have to worry about sports, band, boy scouts, FFA, etc.  What am I going to do when the time comes?  Will I just cram as much as I can into the kids' schedule because they want to do all that?  Will I just assume that busy equals good?  Will I have the strength to say no?  As I'm writing it occurs to me I'm not including Tracy in any of these decisions, and she'll certainly be involved.
I truly hope I can find time to let my boys just be boys and kids.  I know for myself that if I have a schedule that is continually packed it wears me down.  I know that I need a night or two to just be home with the family.  There are enough times already were I feel we don't have enough of those nights and as a family we're barely getting started in the rat race.  Is it no wonder families seem to struggle a little bit more now because they barely have time to see each other!  I guess my question is where has the balance gone, and can you find a way to come back into balance.
I truly believe it is important to have time together as a family to just be.  I don't know if that is your belief or not, but if you're constantly running to the next thing how do you get a chance to just sit down and hang out?  Do you get a chance to sit down as a family and have a meal together...more then twice a week?  Maybe I'm alone in these thoughts and most people believe you have to have the hectic lifestyle, but I don't.  I do not want you to misunderstand me...sports are good....band is good....community activities are good....church activities are good...FFA, Boy and Girl Scouts...and other organizations are good, but we can't be all things all the time.  That's were balance comes into play.  I mean even God rested.  Jesus knew he had to take time out to be alone and get away from it all.  If God and Jesus knew they couldn't handle busyness all the time how do we think we can schedule our lives full and get away with it?  I might be shouting at a wall here, and heck in 2 or 3 years my family might be over scheduled too, but I sure hope we can say no...and still find time to just be at home for a night or two, or God forbid a whole day, without having to be somewhere.  I don't think you can put a price on that time together because it's not the same togetherness as running in the car to the next event.  It is ok to have nothing to do for awhile.  It is ok to just be and not have to rush to the next thing.  Family time, time to just be together, is something I think this world could use a lot more of, and if we can't find time to just be together then maybe, just maybe we're a little too busy.

Back to school...!

It is fun to see all the pictures of the kiddos getting ready for the first day of school.  It is also fun to read all the sappy Facebook posts about how no one can believe how fast time goes and their kids shouldn't be this old yet.  While I agree with most of that I can't get Cliff Huxtable out of my head when it comes to kids leaving for college.  If you don't remember Cliff Huxtable he's Bill Cosby from the "The Cosby Show" in the '80s and you should look it up.  I remember each time one of his kids turned 18 he'd have their suitcases packed and by the door eagerly waiting for them to be out of the house and on their own.  I believe one specific episode he had most, if not all, of the kids out of the house and he was ready for some peace and quiet, but alas someone moved back in.  The image of him and suitcases by the door has always stuck with me, and I've consciously began drilling into my boys' heads that when they hit 18 they're off to college and out of the house!  I don't know if momma is down with that plan but you've got to start early!
Now I'm in no hurry for the boys to grow up, but I think I might be ready for some peace and quiet after 20 some  years of rambunctious boys in the house.  I suppose after a week of the quiet I'll be wanting the noise again, but for now let me dream of having my house back!
As the school year begins, and we're reminded just how fast time really does fly, we need to make sure we're slowing down and not missing everything.  I think a lot as my boys grow up so fast of all the things I want to do with them yet, and if I'm not intentional about doing them then time is going to slip away and they'll be off with families of their own.  I'm also reminded of my relationship with the Spirit and how if I'm not intentional with that it gets pushed back  and neglected.  It is so easy to get busy with life, and time flies by, and before you know it it's too late to do some of the things you wanted to do.  Or, you've been so busy you've neglected your walk with the Spirit and then when you really need that connection it takes a little time to tune back in because you've been tuned out for so long. 
So, as the school year begins let's take a moment to think about what's important in our lives and prioritize them.  God, family, job, other...does that look like your priority list?  If it doesn't then what comes before God and family, and is that truly more important than them?  I certainly hope not!

Yee-Haw!!!

We just finished up another great year of VBS!  What a joy it was to partner with the Neola Presbyterian church and see a group of about 80 kids come and have a blast and learn a little something too.  The program on Sunday was pretty cool if I do say so myself.  Again, I want to say thank you to everyone who helped with VBS in anyway, and a special thank you to Tracy for all her hard work in organizing and running the VBS.
As I talked about during my sermon it was neat to see and feel the kids enthusiasm.  It was neat to watch the kids get into the singing and dancing more and more.  The first time we sang the songs some of the kids were pretty reserved and didn't get too involved.  By the end of the first night they were really getting into both the words and the actions of the songs.  The final couple of nights I think they were eagerly waiting to sing along with the songs.  It was also neat to talk with the kids and hear about what they learned and what they took away from the whole week.  If you were there to see it the kids energy was infectious and it made your day no matter how tired you thought you were.
As I reflected on their eagerness to learn I wondered where our eagerness to learn about and serve God goes.  How come as we get older that unbridled enthusiasm is harder and harder to find.  Ok, I'll admit there is no way we will have the same energy as 3 year old's through 5th graders, but how come it is hard to find that joy?  Think about the energy in church if we all came with the same eagerness to see what we could learn about God and experience the Spirit's presence.  How different would our worship experience be if we really let our whole selves get involved in the worship service?  I'm not advocating for dancing in the aisles and a lot of hootin and hollerin', but maybe a small change in our attitude.  Instead of walking into the sanctuary with our minds full of lists of things to do, minds tired from having to be up before noon, or whatever else gets in our way of fully engaging in worship, how would we connect with God if we were simply eager to see what we could learn and experience again?!
So, the next time you're settling into worship take some time to clear your mind and prepare yourself to experience the Spirit in a new and exciting way.

Busy...Busy...Busy...burnout...

Whoa!!!  We survived RAGBRAI!  What an interesting experience to say the least.  We made some money for the youth group and we got to see and talk to a lot of interesting people.  Even though it was fun and interesting I'm glad we don't have to do it every year!  There is a lot of planning and work that goes on in preparing for that event.  All the planning and work that went into getting ready made me think a lot about how we get busy in life and before we know it life is rushing by so fast we look back and wonder what we've missed.
The sermon this week focused on the story of Mary and Martha.  Jesus visited their house and while Martha busied herself making the guests feel comfortable Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to him talk.  Martha, as would any of us I think, asked Jesus to tell Mary to get off her butt and help with the work of meal preparation.  But, instead of Jesus siding with Martha he said that Mary had chosen the right thing by sitting and listening to him.  So, in this story Jesus seems to be saying it's okay to sit by and let someone else work!  Well not exactly, but I believe this story is a reminder that sometimes we get so busy in our lives that we don't have time to relax, recharge and listen for Jesus.  Usually what happens is we work ourselves so much we are either forced to stop because we get physically ill and our bodies make the decision for us, or we get so burnt out and frustrated we just can't handle it anymore.
The story of Jesus' visit with Martha and Mary reminds us that while doing work, whether it be volunteer or job related or church related or whatever, is important, but it has to be balanced with rest, relaxation and recharging.  God rested on the 7th day, Jesus often went off and prayed by himself, why do we find it a badge of honor to work ourselves silly?  Somehow we think that taking time for ourselves, and perhaps even saying "no" once in awhile is taboo.  Do we have a martyr complex?  Do we like to show others how busy we are and how "important" we are because of all the stuff we can juggle?  Will it not get done if we don't do it?  How do we know what can get done if we don't let someone else do it?  How do we expect more help if we're always the ones saying we'll do it and take care of it?  Jesus himself is telling us that if we're too busy to find time to listen to him and find time to rest, relax, and recharge then he isn't impressed with our work. In fact, he would say slow down and stop it.
We aren't doing anyone any favors trying to be super dad/mom/friend/coworker/brother/sister/volunteer if in the end we become so tired and burnout that we're resentful towards the work we do.  We need to learn to recognize when we're becoming too busy.  The signs are different for everyone, but if you see your family less then coworkers and others then...here's your sign.  If you realize that you are starting to resent the work you've volunteered to do then...here's your sign.  If you find yourself short and snippy with people then...here's your sign.  Of course there are times in our lives when responsibilities take a front seat to anything else, but if that starts to become the norm instead of the exception then I think a priority check is in order.  And I certainly hope that finding time to spend with the Spirit and Jesus isn't pushed back, because that is time that you will find rewarding beyond any work you do...I promise!

Southern California...was this work or play?

I just got back from the United Church of Christ's national meeting, which is called General Synod, that is held every two years.  I was selected as a delegate to represent the Iowa Conference and I reluctantly agreed to attend the meeting which was held in Long Beach, California.  You know, sometimes you just have to take one for the team!  It would suffice to say I was looking forward to the location and not necessarily the meetings and conference.  I was pleasantly surprised by both actually. 
Of course the weather was great.  It was a little unseasonably humid for southern California, but we suffered through it.  We arrived in Long Beach Thursday afternoon.  The conference didn't start until Friday afternoon so I took the chance to rent a car, cruise the Pacific Coast Highway, and also take in a Dodger game.  Once the conference started on Friday our free time was cut down so the rental had to go back.  I would be lying if I didn't say the pull of the beach and the convertible was stronger then sitting in the convention center for meetings, but I resisted the urge and decided to attend the conference.
There were about 800 delegates from around the country, and there were about 2000 visitors from around the country that came to General Synod.  The conference consisted of elections of our national officers, the recognition of some dignitaries, worship, and the work was the passing of resolutions.  The resolutions were debated in committees on Saturday and then brought to all the delegates for a vote.  Let's just say the voting on the resolutions is where the conference really bogged down.  The resolutions were anything from a statement denouncing bullying to a call for the UCC to divest itself from companies that profit from fossil fuels.  The process of amendments, voting, the voices for and the voices against worked a lot like any committee/meeting works so you can imagine it really got tiresome sometimes, but some good work was done.
What was really cool about General Synod was the chance to meet some new friends, to experience some different worship styles, to see God active in our wider church, and to be reminded that there is a lot of good stuff going on around the country and in our denomination.  Now, I may not agree with all the things the national UCC does, and I didn't agree with all the resolutions, but I do really enjoy the fact that the UCC really strives to the an inclusive and all loving church that welcomes all...even those they may disagree with that very policy.  I don't always do a good job of keeping our church connected to the wider church, and attending General Synod was a great reminder to me that God is at work in the wider church.
One final take away from General Synod was a reminder to me again to how blessed I am to be serving at the Minden United Church of Christ.  I listen to a lot of ministers talk about their struggles, and I was humbled at the way the Spirit has worked with our church and helped shape us into the church family we are.  I know I make a lot of mistakes, and I am thankful you are willing to work with me through those mistakes.  With the leading of the Spirit we will continue to be a light in this community and a great faith family together.