Praise God I Have Suffered

by Teresa

About six years ago my husband, Terry, and I became business owners.  From day one it was a struggle physically, emotionally, and finacially.  We kept thinking that as we stuck it out it would become easier, or at least pay off.  But in actuality, we experienced quite the opposite.   We worked long hours and invested every penny we had put back for retirement.  Still, the situation worsened and was taking a toll.

Finally, this past January, Terry and I decided that we had to throw in the towel.  We were scared to death and humiliated, but agreed that this new path could not be any worse than the one we were on.

So now, both of our stores are closed.  We are still spending a lot of time on them trying to get inventory returned, paperwork closed out, tax stuff finalized, and lawyers met with.  One of the owners is giving us a lot of trouble which will make the process take a bit longer.  This part isn’t fun, but both Terry and I have the attitude that this is what has to be done to be done with it, if that makes sense.  And being done with it sounds so appealing that this is almost enjoyable

For the first time in at least five years, and I have trouble remembering much past that, I am eager to live life.  We are in the middle of one of one of the most dreaded situations I could have imagined a year ago, yet I am at such amazing peace with it.  I know that God put us here like this for a reason.  We had a tremendous struggle with the stores which effected home and married life horribly.  We had the stresses of two more babies in critical delivery situations, and a lost pregnancy. The strain of my nursing studies capped it all off.  And it seemed that financially we may still loose all of our possessions.  I worried so much because I didn’t know how we would provide for our multitude of children.  I lost sleep, snapped at my husband and children, cried, aged, etc.  I prayed and prayed and prayed that things would work out, of course, the way I imagined them working out.  But the situation only worsened.

What do I think….hmmm?

posted by Gary

I was minding my own business yesterday afternoon in my office, surrounded by teenagers, sitting next to either Rebecca or Melissa (who have a very selfish reason for sitting next to me), and working on the black & white Ansel Adams puzzle of which Luke is so fond because Curt picked it with him in mind. Then Josh Reed wanders in to ask if I’ll be part of an interview for his Church Administration class. Sure, I say. Good, says he. So today I received his questions and left my humble responses.

I thought these questions (and possibly your agreement or disagreement with my answers) might be of interest to you. So I’ll post it all here. Give it a read and see if any of you are tempted to answer the questions for yourself. They are thought provoking and hopefully will cause you to consider yourself and your church family. Feel free to post back any thoughts you have on any of the questions.

What are some important characteristics of a church leader?
Compassion will take you about as far as any characteristic. And self-awareness is a key to this; to be able to see how God has loved you through all the situations of your life even when you’ve made poor choices. Compassion leads you to patience and understanding, which bring about wisdom. It allows you to love the people who you minister to when you see them hurting even in stressful situations of their own making. And I believe compassion is a key element that Jesus came to engage our lives to teach us, which is a fact confirmed in Hebrews 2 when we’re told ‘Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity…’ We’re all in the flesh together, trying to overcome the flesh together by the power of God.

Quotes, Quips and Qualifiers

by Gary

It may say something about my personality that I love quotes. Possibly, it says that my weak mind can only process things in brief, sound-bite-sized fragments. But rather than fragmented, I’d like to consider myself broad minded enough to only need a narrow glimpse at the thoughts of others. That’s a joke of course but not a fat joke. In reality, I like quotes because they allow the luxury of taking a great thought from another person and putting it in my own context. With a quote, I’m not limited exclusively to the context in which is was written or spoken. I can also take its wisdom into my current situation or mind frame. And the type of quotes I like can give you good insight into my mind and help you qualify what’s important to me.

Also, this would be a great place for you to post your favorite quote in a comment. So look up your favorite quote, then cut and paste it into a comment for this blog. I’d love to see what speaks to you. And don’t think you’ll pick a quote that’s not worth sharing. We’ll read all quotes that will hold still long enough to be read: concise, witty, clever, sometimes pithy. I love them all.

Now that I have my all-too-verbose intro finished, I’ll finally move on to the laconic statements that I brought you here to read…

My Friend, Joy

by Gary

I can’t recall when I first met this certain friend of mine. In some ways, she seems to have been a part of my life for ever and always. But in other ways it is as if I bumped into her for the first time only this afternoon. And it’s hard to guess her age. She seems a little older but I think that’s just because she makes me feel so young when I’m with her.

I realize she’s the type that doesn’t stay still long, as I watch her go by. And yet she almost makes me feel that I’m the one wondering busily off to spend time with other acquaintances. It’s somehow my fault that I don’t see her as often as I’d like, yet I feel like the one standing still; just waiting.

This friend of mine is a little demanding if you want to know the truth. Since she’s always on the move, she expects me to get on the move by her side if I want to spend any time with her. You know the kind of friend I’m talking about. In fact, you may know this friend of mine. Or, at least, you’ve caught a glimpse of her. Of course, when you have a name like Joy, it is hard not to cause a scene on occasion.

My friend, Joy, played with me when I was a child in Paoli. We go way back; back to the little dead end street where I grew up. I think she was there the first time I laughed. She is a good friend of my fathers and he always invited her over to play with us when I was growing up. The funny thing is that Joy always came when invited. She never turned us down. It’s not her nature.

Birthday Blog

(As an ameture blogger, Mike thinks a birthday is a good time for some personal reflection and therefore a good time to post.)

Yesterday was my birthday.  It wasn’t a bad day.  I got to sleep in.  Then help Joni pick up the house a little before two guys came to install carpet in the living room and hallway.  Then later, my parents took us out to Casa Brava for dinner.  The night ended watching some Sweet Sixteen basketball.  Nothing special, just another day.  My parents called and sang “Happy Birthday” as did my 5 year-old niece, Alyssa.  Other than that, it was hard to tell that March 27th was anything other than normal. 

Birthdays tend to depress me.  I don’t want everyone to make a big deal out of me or my birthday, but I want the day to be extraordinary in some undefined way.   I should be able to go play basketball and hit almost everything.  If I want to go golfing, how dare it be rainy?  I feel that should be special, magical, wonderful days where the entire universe is aligned for me to be successful and happy (or at least content and comfortable).  One day a year, it should be all about me. How selfish.  That’s not how God wants me to live, even for one day.  Jesus’ example of how to live the perfect life doesn’t allow for other people to cater to me, even for one day.  Jesus taught that I’m supposed to die to self and live for Him and for others.  I’m to live as a servant to others, even on my birthday.  Trying to live for oneself leads to a depressed, unfulfilled life.  Living for others has the opposite effect:  success, joy and contentment (if not comfort and happiness) follow a life lived by God’s standard.

Too often, I’m living life like every day is my birthday.  If I were really following Jesus, I’d live everyday like it was my death-day. 

Home Improovment

(Posted by Mike) 

When Joni and I were first married I was working as the “Pastor to Youth” at the First Baptist Church in Mitchell.  Along with the prestige, respect and honor of that position came a wonderful little house, the Youth Mansion.  We both loved that house and with the exception of a few minor flaws (postage stamp kitchen, lead based paint and moldy, leaky basement) it was perfect to begin raising a family.

Eventually, God led me to change my ministry from the church setting to the public school.  Naturally, we couldn’t continue to live in the youth mansion and needed to find a new abode.  We struck a mutually beneficial deal with Joni’s parents and bought their house a couple of months before I officially ended the rent-free stay in the parsonage.  We used this time to make a few changes and remodel the place.  During this time of replacing windows, fixing holes, hanging drywall and removing (non-load bearing) walls, one of my favorite sayings was “now I know why Jesus quit carpentry and became a preacher.” 

Miss Buss Asks a Question

A very good friend of mine, Courtney Buss, recently asked this question at the end of a post on her blog. The blog was asking how the world has come to think poorly of Christians and how we’ve been the cause of this thinking. Here’s the question.

So where are we?  What do we do?  Where have we been and where are we headed?  And if where we’re headed isn’t where we need to be headed, how to we change directions?  What needs to be done?  How are you helping change the reputation of Christ in the world today (or maybe not His, but those of us that are following Him)?  I want specifics, I want comments, and I want wisdom imparted on me and everyone else that reads this blog.  How are we going to turn this world upside down for Christ?  How can the Gospel be played out in our world today; what are the world’s needs?  If we don’t have a plan yet, don’t you think we need to be developing one?

Here’s the comment I left on the blog. I realize it may be arrogant of me to think you should read a comment I posted on another blog. But for those of you who know me well, you know it’s not arrogance that makes me post this. You know I just like to hear myself talk. Ha! Seriously, I post this here so these thoughts that Courtney brings up can be continued. Please go over to her blog and add some of your thoughts.

Here is my comment to her blog question… 

He Is Risen

He is risen…

                                                                                                                                .

I Can Smell You from Here

I’ve been a little disappointed in winter this year in Southern Indiana. The mostly mild weather has left me feeling a little cheated. The lack of snow days makes it difficult for me to accept that Spring is sneaking up on its little lamb-legs when March forgot to roar at all this year.

I realize many of you are thankful for this same weather that I’m lamenting so I’m happy for you in your mildness. But I love the changing of the seasons. I want distinction. I want wide ranging weather changes. I want to know that a season means business when it arrives and I want it to go out kicking, fighting its passing.

Now, I admit Spring is a tough one. It’s subtle. It’s unassuming. Without warning you’ll step out into the crisp, cold air of a morning and notice the tulips poking through the dirt of the flower bed. Or you’ll pull into the drive way on a certain evening, step from the car, and be caught by that one scent that can only mean Spring.

A grill. Someone has lit a grill. Someone is cooking on that grill. Someone who hasn’t invited me to come sample what’s on their grill. The smell of the grill wafting through the neighborhood is both frustrating and a little intoxicating. Don’t pretend not to know what I’m talking about. All of us have stood in place, breathing deeply the grill scent, and wondering which of your neighbors is the culprit.

The Usual?

Mitchell is not a town of detours. No roads will be closed today. I don’t have to wonder what route I will take to work. There is no traffic report to consult so that I can avoid accidents that are causing congestion on the roads. The only remotely unpredictable factor is the train schedule and even those horned rumblers seem strangely natural these days. I like the usual.

Last week I backed out of my driveway one morning, headed naturally north onto 8th street , waved at neighbor Deb who was out for her standard stroll with her dog, made a routine right onto Main, and then cruised customarily down to the Old Mill Restaurant for a typical once-a-week breakfast meeting. It was the usual.

Darrin and Matthew were arriving as I was and I could see Jim’s car so he had to be inside already. I didn’t see Allen’s car from where I was standing but I knew it must be parked nearby because he is always early. It’s the usual for him. Walking in for breakfast feels familiar. It’s not something I do every day but it still feels ‘everyday’ to me. Nothing much changes behind the door of the Old Mill. The door that smells faintly of maple syrup and whose handle has a little of the feel of bacon. Just right. The usual.