SEE YOU IN THE PARKING LOT AT THE CHURCH

If you read last week’s blog, then the title should tell you everything you need to know. Have a GREAT THANKSGIVING. I will.

It’s the Most Weirdly Wonderful Time of the Year.

With veto session starting, and no gifts bought yet, and no turkeys on sale...
But there have been good things happening. Giving seems to be staying pretty consistent with last year for Angel Tree and Washington Park. I have picked up a lot of toys and clothing so far, and have more to pick up this weekend. Even with the economy in the tank for a third year, people still seem to give beyond their needs.
A couple of things to talk about before my main subject.
I went to a visitation over the weekend for a fixture from the Taylorville area. When we finally got inside the funeral home (almost an hour wait), there was a soldier standing next to the coffin. I was told it was the Honor Guard. As we approached the visit line, I noticed that the soldier was someone I knew, a friend from high school (almost 30 years ago). It was after 4:00 p.m. and we were informed that he had been standing there since 1:30 p.m. Wow. With Veteran’s Day having only been a few days ago, it reminded me how much I really respect our men and women that serve. Steve is a great guy anyway, but to see him in this new light made me respect him even more.
Why do people fuss so much about Santa and Jesus and which one should be the focus of Christmas? If I had more kids, they would learn about the Grinch, Rudolph, putting one foot in front of the other, Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold (throwing that great Christmas “fit” when he receives a Jelly-of-the-Month subscription instead of the expected bonus), Charlie Brown Christmas, and they would learn about Jesus. Can’t they all just get along?
And now my main subject:
A friend told me his wife has some serious medical issues, and they have to face them the day before Thanksgiving. I have been told about things like this before, thousands of times. But for some reason when he told me on Sunday, it stuck with me all day, and has continued to be the focus of my prayers ever since. This young couple has endured a lot in their lives, especially the loss of their first child. But they are strong. And I have to say, I really love them. I love watching them with their two children, I admire the way they keep their first born fresh in people’s memories, I just love them. And I don’t want them to suffer. I really feel like God has put them at the forefront of my thoughts for a reason, so I am praying just a little more seriously then I typically do now, taking everything a little more serious. I know people that crap out of their faith after things a lot smaller than the loss of a child or the fear of a possible life-altering disease, but I do not, for one moment, see that happening with this couple. I am going to keep praying for them, I am going to be there for them, and I believe that things are going to come out so well that we all will be dancing in the parking lot of church on Thanksgiving morning. At least I will.
Here’s the thing. I don’t do enough praying. But somehow this weekend God decided to really put it on my brain. So here goes...
Man, I am so glad that is over. Five minutes seems like a lifetime.
But really, we don’t do enough. I read a book last year about being in constant prayer. The prayer of the office came into the mix. The book talked about how the early church always had someone at the church in prayer. Imagine that, no really...stop and imagine it. If we “prayed without ceasing”. Things would be so different. I am going to try it for real, see what happens.
It is the weirdest time of the year. I suffer from seasonal affective disorder, so the less sun light there is, the more depressed I seem to become. I am taking Vitamin D, and we will see if that helps. But I am also betting on the prayer thing this year. I want to be happy through Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want to wake up refreshed, I want to experience each day as different as the previous day.
I want this time of year to mean something.
And for my friends that will be worrying up until Thanksgiving about these health issues, I want them to wake up on Thursday, November 25, 2010, and be worried about nothing but Thanksgiving dinner. And what teams will win their football games that day. And what time to get up to go to all the great Black Friday Christmas sales. I want them to worry about the fun stuff.

Really? I've Been Too Nice?

Someone mentioned the blog to me last week and said they really enjoyed the week-long series about my uncle and his family. I really appreciated that, and told them to keep on commenting. Then they did.
They said that I have been too nice lately. That I was not going "after" the hard issues like I used to, which I really dont recall ever doing.
So, I have decided to write about the "hard" issues this week.
First, I think that if you are going to make excuses for why you dont come to church, then come up with something powerful. Seriously... I heard this one and it just reeks of lame. "We are not coming because one of the teens went to the altar, knelt, and we could see his butt crack." I am not exposing my children to that." But you expose your kids to other things, and that does not seem to bother you. And the saddest thing of all is that your kids like church. Way to punish the kid with the butt crack. Couldnt you just tell him to wear a longer shirt, or to pull it down, or maybe you could have walked up, and stood in front of the offensive crack, or prayed with him. Major Lame.
Or this one..."It is my only day off." Other than my half day Tuesdays, and Saturday. I call that laziness.
Or "this person makes me angry so I am staying home." Dont you have people at work that make you angry? How does that work out for you?
Now I know some people will call the pastor, or a trustee, and say, "He was talking about me on his blog". I have a telephone, call me. Explain these lame reasons to me.
The music is too loud, I dont like drums, I dont like this person, the pews make my 'roids hurt, it was too cold, it was too hot, I got bulletin ink on my hands, I am bored....
We are so lucky Christ did not go crazy with whiny excuses.
"Ow, these nails hurt!" "I am allergic to wood." "This loincloth is causing me to itch." "I dont want to die for everyone, because there are certain people I just dont like." "I can see the two criminals butt cracks."
By the way, I wont be there Sunday, honoring veterans is really not my thing.
(editors note: the last part is not true, it is just sarcasm)