Life on The Way

Good Health is a Pro-Life Issue

2009-08-12T22:19:00.006-05:00

Good health is the will of God for each and every one of God’s children and is the most basic tenets of being truly pro-life. Death, disease, and pain did not exist in the garden of Eden, and Revelation tells of a “new heaven and new earth,” where once again they will not exist.

In the fallen world in which we live, injury and sickness are a fact of life; physical death on this earth will never be overcome. But scripture paints a clear picture that health was God’s intent from the beginning and will be the goal once again in the end. This means that on a personal, national, and global level the physical well-being of all God’s children is close to God’s heart -- and should be close to ours as well.

There is no religious mandate for a specific, God-ordained system of health care or insurance. No amount of biblical exegesis will lead you to a policy conclusion about health care savings accounts, personal versus employer-provided insurance, single-payer public systems, or private insurance plans. Luke might have been a physician, but he never commented on whether or not computerizing medical records should be a national priority.

But these policy questions are still of vital importance. And, as they will be debated in the coming months at the White House, in Congress, and in the press, they should also be discussed in our churches. With an issue like health -- deeply personal but of great public concern -- the faith community has a unique and important role to play: to define and raise the moral issues that lie at the root of the policy debate.

There will be much heat, and maybe even a few fires, over policy specifics. The church has the opportunity to remind our political and national leaders about why these issues are so important -- why they speak to our Christian values.

There are a myriad of special-interest groups who will be promoting their own agendas during this process. The Christain community has the opportunity to step in and advocate for the common good and those who would not otherwise have a voice. We also have a vital role to play in reminding our elected officials that health care is not just about dollars and cents, but is a profound moral issue of life and death. It is fundamentally about whether we are a community that values the life of each person -- poor, rich, or middle-class. The health-care debate is the most basic of pro-life issues...it is the church's duty to be the conscience of our society and to remind our leaders what is really important in the health-care debate.

More Healthy Kids Praises

2009-08-09T16:08:00.001-05:00

From Thursday, June 4th through last Friday, August 7th, a total of 29,561 hot, delicious, and nutritious lunches were served to the children of the greater Granbury area!

A very sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of you and your volunteers who worked to deliver and distrbute the lunches, to Alicia Hernandez and her amazing Child Nutrition Department at Granbury ISD, and to all the rest of you who supported the effort through your prayers.

Many of our churches have committed to the extended summer program and will be preparing their own lunches and delivering them to their respective lunch sites for the next two weeks before school starts. Please pray for these churches and their volunteers as they continue the work of Healthy Kids. God bless.

Here are the final numbers for each of our four Healthy Kids lunch sites for the "official" Healthy Kids Summer Lunch program:
Brazos River Acres (Triple Cross Church) 5,081
City of Granbury City Beach (St. Francis Cabrini) 1,475
Oak Trail Shores Pool ( First Baptist Granbury) 1,759
Oak Trail Shores Ruth's Place (FUMC Granbury) 2,226
Montego Bay (Acton Baptist) 1,268
Sky Harbor (First Baptist Granbury) 983
Whippoorwill Bay (First Baptist Granbury) 846
Arrowhead Shores (FUMC Granbury) 1,416
Rancho Brazos (Acton UMC) 2,311
Sandy Beach (Acton UMC) 746
City of Granbury City Park (Granbury COC) 1,631
Lake Granbury Harbor (Granbury Baptist) 3,843
City of Granbury City Beach (First Presbyterian) 1,039
Indian Harbor Teen Center (Lakeside Baptist) 937
Comanche Harbor (Lakeside Baptist) 1,548
Canyon Creek (Lakeside Baptist) 1,382
Indian Harbor Pool (Lakeside Baptist) 1,070

If you or your church would like to volunteer to work with Healthy Kids this summer, you can contact Micky Shearon at 817-408-5273, or Norma Wright at 817-279-0313, and for further information you can visit the Granbury ISD web page or the Love Granbury home page.

Redemptional Wisdom

2009-08-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Then Jesus said to his followers, "If any person wants to follow me, he must say 'No' to the things he wants. That person must accept the cross (suffering) that is given to $him, and he must follow me. The person that wants to save his life will lose it. And every person that gives his life for me will save it. It is worth nothing for a person to have the whole world, if he loses his soul. A person could never pay enough to buy back his soul." -- Matthew 16:24-26 (ERV)

Up is down. Down is up. The high cost is cheap. The cheap cost is high. First will be last. Last will be first. The least will be greatest. Jesus preached an upside down Kingdom. In many ways, his values are against "Conventional Wisdom." Instead, Jesus teaches a "Redemptional Wisdom" -- a wisdom that calls us to surrender our lives to the will of God, live for him, and serve others. It is in giving up our lives for something and Someone greater that we truly find life.

There are so many things we can invest our lives in that ultimately become our masters. The harder we work to attain them, the more we find we have lost that vital essence of living that is God's gift to us. The radical example and call of Jesus is to follow him in laying down our lives to honor God and redeem others -- there are no short-cuts.

Tell It Like It Could Be

2009-08-03T22:03:00.002-05:00

"Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you;' and their sight was restored” (Matthew 9:29–30 NIV).

You can set people up for success or failure by your expectations.

People tend to become what they think we expect them to be. If you communicate to the people around you that you expect them to be lazy, uncreative, and negative, that’s probably how they will respond to you. On the other hand, if you treat people like winners, they’re likely to become winners. In the same way, if we treat people like they are unimportant and don't matter, they will respond in that manner. Psychologists call it “The Pygmalion Effect.”

• The best salesmen expect customers to buy their product.
• The best executives expect employees to have creative ideas.
• The best speakers expect audiences to be interested.
• The best leaders expect people to want to follow.
• The best teachers expect students to learn.

Would you like to bring out the best in those around you? Here's the key: Treat them the way they could be! Don’t just “tell it like it is.” Tell it like it could be.

Jesus said, “According to your faith it will be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). What are you expecting this week from yourself . . . from others . . . from God?

Adapted from Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" devotion

Think About It

2009-08-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

There are only 2 reasons everyone is not a christian: 1) They do
not know a Christian or... 2) They do.

Sunday

2009-08-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday...assemble...Body of Christ...the Church...Sunday...worship...discipleship...service. This Sunday, as we assemble as the Body of Christ...the Church...may we focus on our corporate worship of the God who loved us so completely that He literally laid down His own life for us. May the realization of that great love move us to a deeper level of discipleship-desiring to know more intimately this God who so passionately and radically loves us. And as we come to know him more intimately, may we be moved to a life of service to others as we realize that God's most intimate desire is to love others through us...so that they will come to know Him. Enjoy your Sunday!

Capitalize What We Prioritize

2009-07-31T13:22:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wondered (like me), why the English language capitalizes the word "I" and lower-cases the words "you" "they" "we" "us"? Could it be that we capitalize what we prioritize? Just sayin'. :-)

Ruined for Love’s Sake

2009-07-29T21:31:00.001-05:00

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

- Hosea 6:6

The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we as Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined.

- Søren Kierkegaard,
Danish philosopher, theologian, and ethicist (1813-1855)

Significantly Insignificant

2009-07-29T07:17:00.001-05:00

Then turning toward the woman, [Jesus] said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little."

- Luke 7:44-47

Every spiritual master in every tradition talks about the significance of small things in a complex world. Small actions in social life, small efforts in the spiritual life, small moments in the personal life. All of them become great in the long run, but all of them look like little or nothing in themselves. One of my favorite writers, Steve Sjogren, says that "small things done with great love will change the world." So whether it's quietly and anonymously picking up someone's check at lunch today, lending an ear to a friend who has a problem, or just simply holding the door for someone, remember that small, seemingly insignificant things become holy moments in time when done out of a heart for Christ.

Blessed to be a Blessing

2009-07-28T12:41:00.001-05:00

Jesus told the people to sit on the ground. Jesus took the seven loaves of bread and the fish. Then Jesus gave thanks to God for the food. Jesus divided the food and gave it to the followers. The followers gave the food to the people. All the people ate and were full. After this, the followers filled seven baskets with the pieces of food that were not eaten. There were about 4,000 men there that ate. There were also women and children that ate.

-- Matthew 15:35-38 (ERV)

Jesus gave directions, gave thanks, and gave food so the disciples could give what the people needed to be filled and satisfied. These are wonderful blessings that Jesus gives. When we look to him and seek to really serve him, he blesses us with power and ability above our normal human capacity. This zone of blessing and ministry can also be ours if we will offer Jesus ourselves and remove the things we allow to get in the way of our faith in him. Bless you as you go through your day today quietly being the hands and feet of Christ.

Six Weeks Down and Still Setting Records!

2009-07-19T16:19:00.001-05:00

What a great summer it's been so far, and the best is yet to come! As of last Friday, we have now finished six full weeks of Healthy Kids, which is a little over half way for this year, and I thought you all would like to see whats been accomplished so far.

First of all, last week was our single best week of Healthy Kids ever. You served a total of 3,533 lunches last week alone! That is amazing! If that weren't enough, listen to this - after six weeks, a total of 18,864 lunches have been served to the children of the greater Granbury area. Thats an average of 3,144 lunches every week. For this we simply say, "thank you God!"

Of course we still have three weeks of Healthy Kids left (five weeks if your church is picking up the last two weeks before school starts on their own) and we are almost certain to break the 25,000 mark and have a realistic shot at reaching 30,000 lunches!

As we move into the home stretch of Healthy Kids this summer, Norma and I really want to encourage you to plan a big finish for your lunch sites. Undoubtedly, you and your volunteers have developed some real and lasting relationships with the kids and families you've been serving all summer. How cool would it be to wrap up Healthy Kids and send your kids back to school with a big Healthy Kids end of summer party!? I've heard of several churches that are planning neighborhood cook outs, block parties and other activities for their lunch sites. So get creative and have some fun with it!

Healthy Kids Praises

2009-07-01T23:04:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that today, Healthy Kids broke another record - not for the most number of lunches served in one day - today was the second highest day ever for that, with 678. But today, Healthy Kids, on our 20th day of service this summer, surpassed the total number of lunches served all last summer (46 days)!! Through today, you have served 10,549 lunches. We served 10,162 all of last summer. So you've already surpassed last year's total by 342!! Folks, that is nothing short of remarkable!!

Weather Worship

2009-06-28T17:08:00.000-05:00

Did you ever stop to think what a worshipful experience it is to sit and watch the Weather Channel? Wow!! Our God is indeed an awsome God!

Love Granbury May Project Report

2009-05-23T23:23:00.001-05:00

What a great time we had this morning during our May Love Granbury service project.

This month we were asked by Mission Granbury to assist one of their clients in getting his property cleaned up around his house. It seems the elderly gentleman has fallen on some pretty tough times the last year or so. In fact, he just got released from the hospital a couple of weeks ago after suffering a mild stroke. His property had become so littered with trash and debris that the Hood County Health Department was getting ready to condemn his home...which would effectively evict the man from his home, making him homeless.

So this morning, the Church stepped up and showed up to be the hands and feet of Christ. On Friday afternoon, we had a 30 yard capacity trash dumpster delivered to the man's home, paid for by Mission Granbury and the Love Granbury ministry at Lakeside Baptist. In a little less than 2 hours this morning, our crew had completely filled the 30 yard dumpster.

While we didn't finish the project today, we made great progress! The man was so excited and happy! He just kept saying over and over again, "thank you so much for all you're doing." On Tuesday, the filled trash dumpster will be picked up and an empty one delivered. We are planning on returning to the man's home next Saturday, May 30th to finish the job.

If you'd like to join us and help out, we will be meeting at Lakeside Baptist at 10:00am next Saturday morning. What an incredible privilege to serve others as Ambassadors of Christ!

Kindness Explosion 09 Wrap Up

2009-04-19T22:54:00.001-05:00

"This was so much fun…I want to do this every week" was what one participant of Kindness Explosion 09 had to say during the closing testimony time on Saturday afternoon. That pretty well summed up what most people said was by far the best Kindness Explosion yet. Twenty churches, hundreds of Believers from all different denominations, all coming together for the purpose of worshiping God and loving the community in His name.

Friday night's Kick-off service really set the tone for the weekend as Lincoln Wiseman and his band led in worship. The Rev. Tim Adams, who drove all afternoon through torrential downpours from San Antonio, delivered an inspiring message about the Good News that we have been entrusted to share and the power that it has to not only change individual lives both spiritually and physically, but to renew and transform entire neighborhoods and communities as well. Especially when the Body of Christ comes together to join our hearts, our hands, and our resources!

Then on Saturday morning, under cloudy and threatening skies, the Church went out to blanket the entire community with the love of Christ. What an incredible day it turned out to be in spite of the weather…which by the way, turned out to be not so bad. Well over 1,800 hot dogs, over a 1,000 bottles of water, hundreds of soft drinks, nearly 100 dozen homemade cookies and brownies, dozens and dozens of cars washed, dozens of bags of trash and litter picked up, countless smiles, and so many other acts of humble service done in the name and kindness of Christ…all with no strings attached!

Then after the Kindness Explosion ended at 2:00 pm, the Church came back to Granbury Baptist for an "agape feast" of food donated by numerous local eating establishments. Already the stories about the day were beginning to pour out as we gathered around the tables to eat. After lunch, everyone gathered in the sanctuary to hear the reports of how God worked throughout the day. Over the next few days, I'll be sharing some of those stories with you on this blog, so stay tuned!

I just want to thank all the congregations that took part in this year's Kindness Explosion and I hope you truly received a blessing for taking part. If you were a part of Kindness Explosion, be sure and spread the word about your KE experience to your brothers and sisters in your congregation and start encouraging them even now to plan on being a part of Kindness Explosion 10. Speaking of, be sure to go ahead and mark your calendars now with the dates for Kindness Explosion 10. Kindness Explosion 10 will take place on Friday, April 16^th and Saturday, April 17^th, 2010.

The Church has left the building!

Gas, Groceries and God’s Love

2009-01-25T00:44:00.001-06:00

"Looks like you guys picked the wrong day to be out here," was the first remark we heard this morning a little after 9:00 AM as we gathered for our January Love Granbury service project. The temperature was a crisp 25 degrees and the wind chill was down around 15 degrees as we arrived at the Brookshires Gas Station on Morgan Street to pump gas and the Brookshires Supermarket to bag groceries and do carry out and cart return.

And even though it was pretty chilly, the look on people's faces when confronted with the unconditional love of God was more than enough to keep us warm. The people's reactions were varied…ranging from "I can't believe you guys are out here today," to "Why would you do this on such a cold day?" One of the students in our group had a great response when asked why we would be doing this on such a cold day. He simply replied, "hey, anybody can pump somebody's gas when it's sunny and seventy-five, but it really means something when it's cloudy and twenty five."

It never ceases to amaze me how God's love can be shown and shared through something like pumping someone's gas or bagging their groceries and carrying them to their car.

The Integrity of Our Calling

2009-01-14T00:00:00.001-06:00

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, that through His poverty, you might become rich. ~ 2 Cor. 8:9 HCSB

WASHINGTON (ABP) -- The nation's most broadly ecumenical Christian group is urging the new administration of President-elect Obama to include help for the poor in any economic-stimulus package. Leaders of Christian Churches Together in the USA met with journalists, members of Congress and the Obama transition team Jan. 15 in Washington to implore them not to let the new economic concerns of the middle and upper classes crowd out the ongoing travails of the nation's poorest citizens.

It is typical of political leaders to focus on the middle class, and we too care about the middle class," Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, said at a press conference announcing the push. "However, it is our religious responsibility to make sure the poor -- who are so close to the heart of God -- are not left out and left behind in this severe economic crisis. They are already in crisis, so we don't recall Jesus saying, 'I was in the middle class and I lost my 401(K).'" Wes Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, said he was part of a similar group that discussed poverty issues eight years ago with then-incoming President Bush and his transition team.

"Eight years have passed, much has changed," he said. "Poverty in many parts of the world has seen some such reduction, as in Africa. But in the United States, four million people more have fallen into poverty." Formed in 2005, Christian Churches Together includes diverse mainline Protestant, African-American Protestant, evangelical and Pentecostal Protestant, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox denominations, as well as parachurch organizations. The American Baptist Churches USA, National Baptist Convention USA, National Baptist Convention of America and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship all belong to CCT. Other Baptist groups -- including the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Progressive National Baptist Convention -- are either considering or in the process of joining.

William Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, told reporters one of the broad Christian principles giving the group common ground was God's concern for the poor. "We really can't be true to the integrity of our calling and our Christ without addressing the issue of poverty," he said. "Because, as our theological statement says, he was rich, but became poor for our sake." The leaders said the organization does not advocate specific policy proposals, but agreed on the principle of including poverty-reduction provisions in the stimulus package. Some denominations and organizations within CCT, however, have offered specific policy proposals.

For example, the Christian anti-poverty group Bread For the World is asking Congress and Obama to include provisions boosting benefit levels for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) by 15 percent for the next two years. They are also asking for a significant funding boost for fiscal year 2009 for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition-subsidy program, as well as a boost in federal funding for food banks. Other member organizations in CCT have advocated strongly for an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, which the House of Representatives passed Jan. 14. The program provides federally subsidized health insurance to children whose families can't afford it.

Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.

January is "National Poverty in America Awareness Month," and as part of that larger movement, a coalition of local churches, non-profit organizations and social service providers are sponsoring "Hood County Poverty Sunday" on Sunday, January 11, 2009. To commemorate Poverty Awareness Month, each day during the month of January, Life on The Way will present a devotional thought relating to the issue of poverty and the Bible.

Opportunity

2009-01-08T22:09:00.001-06:00

Laura Ingalls, the heroine of the Little House on the Prairie series, quoted an adage of her parents in desperate times: "There's no great loss without some small gain."

The economic havoc wreaked by stunning job losses and market upheaval is a great loss indeed. We have only begun to glimpse the impact of this downturn on the lives of children, not only in the U.S. but also and especially around the globe. Demand for public and private services is spiraling up while resources evaporate. Yet there is also small gain.

As budgets contract and needs rise, there is a chance that churches will conclude they have nothing left over to offer their communities, and simply bar the doors to prevent looters. But maybe, just maybe, the truth will hit us upside the head that the most valuable gift we have to offer is not what's in our bank accounts.

"But Peter said, 'I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.'" (Acts 3:6)

The economic downturn presents an opportunity for churches to shift—-by necessity, if not by principle—-from commodity-based ministry to relational ministry, from giving things to giving ourselves, and sharing Christ who gave Himself to dwell within us. The cost of developing healthy children and youth is time, energy, community, vision and faith. Many of us are not used to thinking of ourselves as rich in this currency.

Churches may have shrinking budgets yet be overflowing with assets, especially the kind that are best invested in children and youth. "What I have, I give you!" This is a secret that many of our brothers and sisters in poorer nations have mastered, and that we now have the opportunity to discover. Our season of struggle offers us a small gain that we can offer to God to multiply in the community.

Adapted from the "Hope for Children In Poverty" blog at http://www.hopeforchildreninpoverty.blogspot.com/

The Good Body

2009-01-06T23:32:00.001-06:00

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13

1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it…11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

"I remember hearing about an old comic strip back in the days of St. Ed's. Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask God why he allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you ask?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question.' Over and over, when I ask God why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, I can feel the spirit whisper to me, 'You tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet."

From "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne

Extreme

2009-01-05T21:40:00.001-06:00

Therefore walk in the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the just. For the upright will abide in the land, and the innocent will remain in it. - Proverbs 2:20-21

God put me in Simi Valley, California, to lead a church of comfortable people into lives of risk and adventure. I believe He wants us to love others so much that we go to extremes to help them. I believe He wants us to be known for giving – of our time, our money, and our abilities – and to start a movement of "giving" churches. In so doing, we can alleviate the suffering in the world and change the reputation of His bride in America…We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God. You've probably heard the expression "I believe in God, just not organized religion." I don't think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live. The expression would change to "I can't deny what the church does, but I don't believe in their God." At least then they'd address their rejection of God rather than use the church as a scapegoat.

From the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan

What is the value of a Christianity in which Jesus is worshipped as Lord, but Christian discipleship—"the way of Jesus"—is regarded as largely irrelevant to life in the modern world?

- René Padilla
Argentine Baptist theologian

Shalom for the Poor

2009-01-04T22:53:00.001-06:00

"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED." - Luke 4:18

A proper concern for and relationship to the poor is not the (i.e., the only decisive) measure of faithful discipleship and faithful communication of the gospel of the kingdom. At the same time, one does not dare spiritualize Jesus' announcement of the Good News and blessing to the poor and suggest that Jesus was directing the poor to take comfort in the treasures of heaven where moth and rust do not corrupt.

The heretical neglect of the poor by many affluent Christians is a flat rejection of the Lord of the church. If Jesus is the norm, then faithful Christian sharing of the gospel will make the poor one major priority in such a way that the poor in the world today are as convinced as the poor in Jesus' day that the gospel is fantastic news for them – precisely because Jesus' new kingdom community embraces the poor, invites them to personal faith, welcomes them into their fellowship, and shares economically so that, in the words of Acts, "there is no poor among them."

Adapted from the book "Good News and Good Works, by Ronald J. Sider

Packing Up Christmas

2009-01-04T19:11:00.003-06:00

I think we can all agree that putting out Christmas decorations is a much more enjoyable experience than taking them all down and packing them away. As we were packing our Christmas decorations away this weekend, it got me to thinking about why that is. I think a lot of it has to do with the spirit of Christmas that electrifies the air during the season - the spirit of love, of giving, of kindness, of peace on earth. The act of unpacking the Christmas decorations and decorating our houses seems to sort of usher that spirit in every year. Which got me to thinking further…maybe packing up the Christmas decorations isn’t as much fun because, in a sense, we feel like we are packing away that Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, I fear that to some degree, that’s exactly what many of us do. The spirit of love and giving and kindness and peace that just a few weeks earlier had blanketed the world in its warmth, for some reason gets folded up and packed away in a musty box for the first eleven months of the new year. So there I was, sitting amidst the boxes and old newspapers helping my wife pack up the Christmas decorations, and I had one of those “God moments”. Just because the “holiday” is over…and just because Good Housekeeping tells us that we need to have the decorations down by no later than January 10th to be within seasonal decorating protocols, that doesn’t mean we have to “pack away” the spirit that makes the season so appealing in the first place…the spirit of Christ. So this year, instead of packing away the spirit of CHRISTmas in my attic, I’ve determined to be deliberate and intentional about keeping that spirit alive year round. And what a nice thought that is! What if we all made a conscious effort to truly keep the spirit of Christmas alive, by being as loving, giving, kind, and gracious to others the rest of the year as we are during the Christmas season? I suppose that if we did, we would see Jesus’ “kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” So that’s my number one New Year’s resolution – to keep Christmas out of my attic and in my heart all year long!

"God, You Sure Are Pretty"

2008-08-26T21:27:00.002-05:00

I was having lunch today with two of my very best friends in the entire world, David and Norma Wright, and as it does so many times when we're together, the conversation turned towards their two grandsons - Blake, age 6 and Ryland, age 2. Blake and Ryland spend almost every weekend with David and Norma due to their parent's weekend work schedules.

Well it seems that Blake has really become fond of attending church with his Mimi and Poppy in recent months, which he does just about every weekend, and has started asking some very deep and thought provoking questions about God...questions like, "if God created everything, who created God?" And, "how can God be everywhere at once?" You know - those questions that adults just love to field from 6 year olds.

Last weekend after church, Norma was standing in her kitchen when Blake came into the room and asked her..."Mimi, how do you talk to God?" Norma, gathering all of her theological wits, replied, "sweetheart, that's what prayer is...you don't have to close your eyes, you don't have to say any special words, you just open your mouth and talk to God just like you would talk to Mimi."

Equiped with this new found theological truth, Blake quietly whirrled around and left the room, apparently satisfied with his Mimi's counsel. About an hour later, Norma walks by the playroom when she hears Blake say, "Dear God, you sure are pretty..."

Wow, the pure and simple faith of a child. It made me stop and think about how I relate to God in my own life. Do I approach Him like He's some sort of etheral, immpersonal and distant Being? Or, do I come running and jump into His lap like He's the loving heavenly Father that He is? I'd like to say that I have the latter mindset, but unfortunately, I tend to let myself get caught up in the litany of religious rituals and traditions of man made origin that serve no other purpose but to throw up roadblocks in our relationship with God.

God help me to be as natural in my communion with my heavenly Father as a child is with his Mimi.

Fun, Fun, Fun at Operation School Supplies!

2008-08-21T16:43:00.001-05:00

What a great day it's been so far at Operation School Supplies 08. We had people in line at 5:30 this morning waiting for us to open our doors at 9:00. Things have run very smooth so far and tons of kids are getting everything they need for back to school. By the end of the day, close to 2000 kids will get their school supplies and a backpack as well as their back to school haircuts, school immunizations, dental screenings, vision screenings, as well as all kinds of free give a ways from Boys and Girl Club. In addition to all that, every social service organization in town has a booth set up at the resource fair with information about all the different programs and services that are available to kids and families. Heck, we've even got Tubby the Clown here again this year making balloon animals and entertaining the kids. What a great day! Thank God for the opportunity to be an agent of hope and love to the families of our community today!

God' Laughter

2008-08-18T10:46:00.000-05:00

There is truly no sweeter sound to the ears than that of children playing. Listen carefully and you can hear the manifest presence of God in the midst of the laughter...love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, kindness, patience, faithfulness and self-control...the very nature of God incarnate is in our midst in the laughter of children. In a very real way, it's as if God is sharing a laugh with us. God thank you for children and the laughter that reminds us of who you are.

The Gold Standard

2008-08-15T16:35:00.003-05:00

I love the Olympic Games...and in spite of all the hype, the over-commercialization, and the incessant chatter from the media's talking-heads...I think it's still one of sports greatest spectacles.

I love the great stories of victory and triumph...like the incredible story of Michael Phelps. Behind all of those stories are even bigger stories of years, if not lifetimes, of training and sacrificing for a goal greater than the athlete themselves. It's simply an inspirational time that rolls around every four years.

But I'll have to tell you that every four years, where I truly find the most inspirational and compelling stories, are from the athletes who came away without reaching their ultimate goal. There's just something truly inspirational about gritty perseverance in the face of bitter defeat or disappointment. Even sitting here typing this, I can see on the TV screen in my mind the images of athletes from past Olympic games who had to deal with...as the late, great, Jim McCay used to say on Wide World of Sports...the agony of defeat.

As emotionally moving and proud those stories of great victory are, there's so much more to learn and so much to be taught from those stories of athletes who came up just short of their dream...for it is in those stories where most of us find ourselves and where we best relate.

My first memorable story from this Olympic games came earlier this week while watching the women's gymnastics team finals. Team USA gymnast Alicia Sacramone has trained for the better part of her young life for the very moment she found herself in last night. Unfortunately for her and the USA team, she made a couple of technical errors during her performances the other night that proved to be disastrous to the USA team’s chances of winning the gold medal. That honor went instead to the Chinese team.

Aside from all the obvious things you think about at times like that...like that you just feel horrible for the poor girl, being right out there in front of the entire world...there was one thought that stuck with me and that I woke up the next morning contemplating on. I was struck by the obvious level of disappointment from Alicia Sacramone and the rest of the US gymnastics team...at winning the silver medal.

Yeah, it seemingly almost got lost that this team of extremely talented gymnasts won a silver medal at the Olympic games! Here you have a handful of young women who are at the top of their chosen sport among the literally millions of teenagers and children around the world who would give almost anything to be where they are at right now. Yet at that moment, there was almost a tangible feeling that this group had underachieved.

And therein lies my first lesson that I take away from these Olympic games – that our true measure of success is not just in what we achieve, but; in what we could have achieved. This group of young athletes obviously felt like they were capable of performing much better than they did, and; although they came away with a silver medal…no small accomplishment to say the least…there level of expectation for themselves was set at a gold medal level.

The same is true in our daily walk with Christ. It goes without saying that with the unconditional love and grace that God lavishes on us, comes a humbling responsibility to pass on that same unconditional love and grace to everyone else we come into contact with. After all, that is the essence of the Christian life, loving God by loving others. My question that I’m posing to myself today is this - am I doing that to the very best of the ability that God has given me? Am I using all of the gifts and abilities to serve, love and touch others that God has placed within me?

Oh it’s easy enough for me to start listing off the “things” I do each day in the area of Christian service. I can even make myself feel pretty “holy” about what I do if I just give it a try. I mean, come on, I teach in the student ministry, I work with Awanas in the children’s ministry, and I serve on several teams and committees in the church. Oh yeah, don’t let me forget about Love Granbury and Healthy Kids, Operation School Supplies and Christmas for Children. Nice list I might think to myself.

But here’s the question – how am I actually doing in my Christian walk in comparison with how I could be doing? Ouch!! Am I living up completely to the potential that God has placed within me for the furtherance of His Kingdom? How about you? As Dr. Phil always asks…”how’s that working out for ya?”

Here are a couple of good self-check questions that we can ask ourselves, and they both tie right back into our Olympics story:

First, the obvious question - are you in the game? Are you serving others in the name of Christ to the honor and glory of God? Those young gymnasts in Beijing are gymnasts not simply because they woke up one day and decided to call themselves gymnasts. No, they are gymnasts because they have each made the intentional and deliberate commitment to a way of life that has made them an elite athlete. They have trained, sacrificed, and studied and made gymnastics their priority for years to rise to this occasion.

Likewise, do we simply call ourselves Christians, or do we exercise and practice the daily spiritual disciplines necessary for the Christian life? As sure as thunder follows lightning, spiritual works of service follow a commitment to Christ and His Kingdom. That’s exactly what James is talking about when he wrote that faith, without works, is dead (James 2:14-26). Just as those awe inspiring routines on the balance beams, vaults, parallel bars and floor exercises indicate those young ladies status as a “gymnast”, so our acts of self-sacrifice and humble service indicate the true status of our heart’s relationship to Christ.

Second, here’s a not so obvious question…if we’re in the game…if we’re deliberately and intentionally serving others in the name of Christ, do we sweat the small stuff? Do we pay close attention to the things that, in the grand scheme of things, seem small and insignificant? This is huge! My pastor, Mark Forrest has a somewhat rhetorical question that he asks during a lot of his sermons, and I love the question because it serves as a checkpoint for me (and because I love baseball). The question he asks is this – do we focus so much on the grandeur and drama of the grand slam home run that we forget about the importance of the routine ground balls? I must confess that often times I do…both in the areas of personal devotion and service.

In my personal devotion, I sometimes get so caught up in the “home runs” of the big service projects…like Love Granbury or Healthy Kids…that I tend to neglect the spiritual disciplines that are absolutely critical to my spiritual health. Things like daily Bible study, prayer, quiet time and worship. Just as those highly trained gymnasts follow a strict physical training regimen of which proper nutrition is a major component, our spiritual lives must have that same regimen of spiritual disciplines in order to be at our peak performance for Kingdom activities.

In athletics, neglecting the small stuff can be devastating. For example, did you happen to notice the margin in scoring between each of the medal winners and then between the three teams that won medals and those that didn’t in the team gymnastics competition? There was a razor thin margin between each of the medal winners and between the medal winners and the rest of the field who didn’t medal. In most instances it literally came down to tenths and hundredths of single points! In the world that is gymnastics scoring, that equates to a single slight step on a single landing, or a single foot being out of bounds on a single floor exercise, or even a teeny-tiny wobble on the balance beam. So believe me, these gymnasts know that the little stuff matters.

It is no different in the area of Christian service for us. We may be out there doing all the right things…serving and being the hands and feet of Christ…but if we neglect the seemingly small and insignificant, moment-by-moment opportunities to serve, we will simply not be as effective in sharing Christ’s Kingdom as we should be. So the next time we have an opportunity to open the door for a total stranger and let them go first, or to help someone to their car with their packages at Walmart, or just offer a kind word to someone who seems to not be having a good day, we need to recognize those times as the holy moments that they are…moments to plant a seed of love and kindness in a heart that desperately needs the love of Christ. So as Pastor Mark says, “focus on doing the simple, everyday, routine stuff well.”

Finally, as Christians we are often times very prone to evaluating our spiritual walk by comparing ourselves to other people around us. As long as we aren’t as “bad” as the person we are comparing ourselves to, or as long as we appear to be “doing” more than the other person, we tend to feel pretty good about ourselves. As evidenced by the US Women’s Gymnastics team the other night, the fact that they won the silver medal was little consolation for the knowledge that they didn’t perform up to their full potential. I didn’t see any of them jumping around going, “hey, aren’t we great because we won the silver medal and this other team over here only won the bronze medal.” No, those comparisons were nowhere to be found the other night.

So remember, it’s not what we are doing for Christ that really counts, but what we are doing, measured against what we are capable of doing for Christ. In the final analysis, we all have a gold medal standard to strive for.

I'm Micky Shearon, and that's Life on The Way.

Rethinking Our Missions Mindset

2008-08-11T21:34:00.007-05:00

On the mission committee I serve on at our church, we are having a lot of intentional dialouge among our committee members right now about "changing the culture" of our church in regard to "missions". I give a lot of credit to the current Chairman of our committee for recognizing the need for a broader definition and understanding of missions and for initiating these discussions.

For a lot of years now, our church has been stuck in the mindset that mission work is something you do in a foreign country. That's not to say that our church has not taken on or participated in local mission projects in the past, but the clear emphasis has been put on "international" missions. Local or even regional needs have always been given at least an implied second tier status with the exception of just a select few local charities.

A perfect example would be our church's participation in the Operation Christmas Child program. This program has been a major emphasis in our church during the Christmas season for a number of years, and rightly so. Operation Christmas Child is a very worthwhile organization that does great work. But every year, running concurently with Operation Christmas Child, which focuses on providing Christmas gifts to underprivileged children in foreign countries, has been Hood County Christmas for Children, which does essentially the same thing for our local underprivileged kids right here in our own county.

The response of our church family to the program aiding children in other countries has always been exceptional. By contrast, the response to the charity helping local children is always much more tepid. There just has never been the enthusiasm for helping the "local" children as there has been for helping the foreign children. And please, don't think I'm playing an "us" versus "them" card, because I'm absolutely not. I believe with all my heart that we have equal responsibility to be the Body of Christ in Africa or China as we do right here in Granbury, Texas, USA. What I'm doing is trying to illustrate an apparent disconnect in our missions mindset.

In the account of the birth of the Christian church found in the book of Acts, Luke spells out for us a very clear, concise and methodical approach to missions. In Acts 1:8, Luke, under divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit writes, "and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." As my good friend Tillie Burgin from Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex says, mission work is not something that's only done "over there". Sometimes I feel like there's almost an unwritten and unstated view that our efforts are missional only if those efforts are being done at least fifty miles from our home.

How contrary to the charge given to us in Acts 1:8 where we are clearly told to begin our mission work literally in our own home, then on our own street, and in our own community...our Jerusalem...and then expand those efforts out into a broader region around us, like our state...or our Judea. At that point, we can expand those efforts out to an even broader area around us, like our nation...or our Samaria. Finally, once we are fulfilling our charge to be missional in those areas closest to us, we then expand onto the global stage and take Christ's Good News...to the ends of the earth.

As author Steve Sjogren illustrates it in his book "Outflow", it's much like a four tiered water fountain. Each succesive level of the fountain is filled as those levels above it fill and spill over to the next level...hence, the "outflow". What a beautiful way to look at the very logical and purposeful way that scripture sets out our duty to be missionaries to the entire world...starting with those who are closest to us.

Unfortunately, far too many times we spend all of our efforts trying to fill up that largest, bottom tier of the fountain at the expense of the other levels that come before it and are running dry...never realizing that by spiritual design, if we fill those other levels to overflowing, the natural progression of things is to flow outward to a wider area. I would go so far as to say that if we really want to expand the scope and effectiveness of our international missions outreach, we need to refocus our efforts closest to home...and then let the outflow work outward.

The bottom line is that everyone, everywhere, needs the love and grace of Jesus Christ. God has given us a clear, easy model to follow to expand His Kingdom on earth if we will simply take Acts 1:8 to heart.

I'm Micky Shearon and that's Life on The Way!

Precious Resources

2008-08-09T13:42:00.002-05:00

Last night, we had just sat down to dinner, when there was a knock at the front door. It was a guy from our local water company who was driving through the neighborhood looking for green grass...you heard right...green grass. And anywhere he saw green grass, he pulled up, stopped, and went up to the front door of that home and knocked. Which was why he was now knocking on our door...because we have green grass.

The man from our water company proceeded to explain to me that the reason he had stopped and interrupted my highly nutritious Pizza Hut dinner, was because he saw our green grass. Not trying to be a Mr. Smarty Pants, I said to the man, "thank you, I'm glad you like it." Unfortunately, the man was not there to bestow an award for the greenest lawn in our neighborhood. To the contrary, he launched into this somewhat probing interrogation relative to my watering habits...which I must confess caught me just a little off guard.

"How many days a week do you water? What days of the week do you water? Do you water on even numbered days or do you water on odd numbered days? Do you water between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM on any day of the week regardless of whether it's an odd or even numbered day?

Now the Paul Harvey as to why this young man was now standing on my front door step has to do with more than the fact that I have some green grass in my front lawn. Several weeks ago the water company had sent out a letter telling all the residents of the neighborhood that the water well that provided water to our quaint little village was running dangerously low because of the hot temperatures and high demand for water. The letter had specifically instructed all residents not to water between the hours of 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. Furthermore (now I'm sounding like a lawyer, right?), according to the instructions contained in this letter, if your address ended in an even number, like mine, you could only water on even numbered days of the week...but only before 8:00 AM or after 8:00 PM. The letter contained a similar admonishment for those water mongering odd numbered residents.

Well it seems that the water level in the water well has not recovered, and in fact, has now reached a critical stage. If drastic conservation measures are not initiated immediately the neighborhood could temporarily be without water in a matter of days and until such time as the water company can drill an additional well. Which brings us back to my dinner time visit from the water company representative. The water company has apparently decided that if you have any green grass in your yard, you must somehow be in violation of the aforementioned water edict. So the pointed questioning as to the true nature of my aquatic habits continued unabated.

I must admit that at this point I was beginning to feel like I was back in the fifth grade at North Euless Elementary School being lectured by Ms. Morrison, my fifth grade teacher after someone ratted me out for stuffing papertowels in the drain of one of the sinks in the boy's bathroom and turning on the water. She kept me after school that day for what seemed like at least six hours...which I think it was only an hour, but to a ten year old wanting to get home and play, it was an eternity. Ms. Morrison went into great detail with me about why we should respect God's creation and the precious resources He gave to us to sustain life on this little blue planet. She read to me the Genesis account of creation from the big ol' family Bible she had on her bookshelf, and she told me horrifying stories of kids my same age in other parts of the world who were dying because they lacked enough clean water to drink. Then, she made me write on the blackboard 100 times that "I will respect God's creation and not waste water ever again." That's a long sentence for a 10 year old...especially when you're having to write it 100 times!

But you know what? I can promise you that after the lecture I received from Ms. Morrison that day some 36 years ago, I have never, ever, ever, knowingly wasted water. What's more, I have always been keenly aware of God's incredible creation and of the awesome responibility we all been charged with by God to care for it. Whether it's the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or other resources he has blessed us with, we are God's stewards and caretakers of His creation. How sad that we so often take for granted the gifts we have have been given...many times until it's too late. One day, we are going to run out of something that God has given us, like water...and we won't be able to just drill another well...like they are planning to do in our neighborhood.

Oh yes, the nice young man at my door - where did I leave off? Oh yeah, I explained to the fellow that the reason I had greener grass than both my even and odd neighbors, was because I happened to have an anaerobic septic system. The kind that cleans the water to the point where its cleaner than our lake water, and then waters the yard with it. Our's is the newest house in our neighborhood, and by the time we built it seven years ago, all the building codes had changed and traditional septic systems were no longer allowed. No one else had a septic system like ours. Obviously this nice young man wasn't aware of that fact. After several minutes of explaining the finer nuiances of our septic system to the guy...while my highly nutritious yet somewhat cold pizza dinner awaited...he went away - I think still somewhat skeptical.

However, I appreciated the reminder of just how precious the things God has given us are. And that includes a lot more than just water!

I'm Micky Shearon and that's Life on The Way.

Mission Trip Photos

2008-08-02T22:07:00.002-05:00

Hey, I've posted all of the mission trip photos on the Picasa photo web site and they can be downloaded/ordered/printed directly from there. The photo site is http://picasaweb.google.com/mgshearon/MissionPhiladelphiaLakesideMissionTrip08

Mission Trip Round Up

2008-08-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody, it's Saturday and we have now made it home from mssion trip in Philadelphia. It's been a couple of days since I've posted to my blog with an update about Mission Trip Philadelphia. My phone didn't charge overnight on Wednesday, so I was without a phone for most of Thursday. Then Friday was another travel day with us doing a little sightseeing in Philly in the morning and then it was time to get our travelling circus to the airport for the journey home. Let me just say this about the last two days in Philadelphia, they were amazing and we really saw God's hand at work in a lot of areas, and I'll get this all on the blog for you to read about. I'll do this in several different posts over the next couple of days. Let me start by talking about the kids who accepted Christ this week as a result of VBS at both Ezekiel Baptist and House of Prayer. We had far fewer kids at both locations than we anticipated having (average of about 30 at Ezekiel and 20 at House of Prayer), but it became very obvious very quickly that God gave us the very kids, in the exact numbers that He wanted at VBS. These children were very needy and required a lot of individualized attention from all of us. These were kids straight out of some of the roughest, most dangerous and most poverty stricken neighborhoods in the entire country, so our students had their work cut out for them. But boy did they ever rise to the occasion! Because of them allowing God to work through them and being the hands and feet of Christ this past week, nine children accepted Christ as their Savior at Ezekiel Baptist and there were four who accepted Christ at House of Prayer. If you've been keeping up with the blog, you've already met Shakina, the 19 year old who accepted Christ on Tuesday at VBS. Today, I want to introduce you to two little guys, both 9 years old, who accepted Christ on Thursday. Theses are two of the seven who accepted Christ that day. There names are Randy and Dominick. I've got a little story to tell you later about Dominick. But here's a little video of each of the boys.

Philly...Day 3

2008-07-30T22:33:00.002-05:00

We had a great day three of Mission trip Philadelphia and we still have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow. Right now, the whole crew is back at Open Door Baptist Church getting ready to eat dinner...we are having homemade chicken quesadilias courtesy of Mitchell George and Peggy Bishop. Then after dinner, Pastor Mark is going to be preaching for the mid-week services at Open Door. VBS at Ezekiel Baptist and House of Prayer went great again today. We had about the same number of kids at Ezekiel as we had yesterday, but House of Prayer nearly doubled their numbers again from yesterday. Please pray that as we teach on Jesus' resurrection tomorrow and give the kids a chance to make a response to the Gospel message, the Holy Spirit will open their hearts and minds and draw them to accepting Christ. I'll have more later on our work today at House of Prayer with Pastor Yvonne Yates. The dinner bell is ringing!

(Written at 7:00 PM, 7/30/08)

A Day of Prayer...Walking

2008-07-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

Well today was our second day of ministry for Mission Trip 08 in Philadelphia, PA, and it was another outstanding day! We doubled the number of kids we had in VBS today at Ezekiel Baptist and more than doubled at House of Prayer! At Ezekiel, Pastor Mark started teaching a class for older teenagers yesterday when we had several kids that were all over the age of 13 show up at VBS. It went over great and today, 19 year old Shanika accepted Christ and became a Believer! Please pray for all of us tomorrow as Wednesday is the Gosepl presentation as we talk about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Pray that those teaching the lesson tomorrow will be crystal clear with Gospel message and that the children will have receptive hearts. After we finished VBS, we joined one of the other teams over at Open Door Baptist where the construction has been going on. Our crew started prayer walking the entire neighborhood around the church. We were able to pray personally with probably 15 to 20 people who were out in the neighborhood as we went by. We specifically prayed over the schools and parks in the area that they would be free of the influence of drugs and gangs. Later, we went across town and worked some more with Pastor Yvonne Yates at House of Prayer. We are helping renovate one of the upstairs rooms in their building for them to use as a neighborhood computer and literacy lab. It was another really busy day, and we need continued prayer as everyone starts to really get tired as the week goes on. Remember to pray for VBS tomorrow. Goodnight from Philly.

What an incredible day!

2008-07-28T17:40:00.000-05:00

Incredible is the only way to describe this first day of mission trip! We had about 30 kids for VBS at Ezekiel Baptist today. Not quite the number we had hoped for but the group we had today were such incredible kids. We really think that tomorrow we will have double what we had today as the kids we had today goes home and tells there friends about VBS and they come with them tomorrow. We went door to door in several of the neighborhoods passing out more flyers and tomorrow they are running a shuttle van to pick up and deliver the kids. Then, we spent a couple of hours working the neighborhood at House of Prayer Church in another part of Philly. This is the church with the woman pastor who has completely changed her neighborhood. She sits on the front steps of her church and calls down the drug dealers, the pimps and the prostitutes as they congregate out on the street and pass by her church. Well we worked in her neighborhood today and passed out VBS flyers door to door, did prayer walks through the neighborhood, prayed with quite a number of individuals, and picked up trash all over a four block area. This woman is simply incredible! We are now back at our third church, Open Door Baptist Church getting ready to eat dinner and then unload a Home Depot delivery truck thats supposed to deliver a bunch of materials and supplies for our construction project at Open Door. It's been an awesome day and it promises to be an even better day tomorrow! Our kids are awesome and they are doing great! God is GOOD!

VBS @ Ezekiel Baptist Church

2008-07-28T09:52:00.000-05:00

This morning we kicked off VBS for the children living around Ezekiel Baptist Church. Good turn out for the first day. We are going door to door with flyers in the neighborhood later today. Sweet, sweet kids here in Philly!

Morning Train to Philly

2008-07-27T04:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, we are all up at 4:00 AM after getting in bed at around 1:00 AM. We were running a bit late this morning so we had to literally run for the early train from NYC to Philly. We did make the train and are now on our way to Philly! Everything is going great, but everyone is really, really tired...working on about 6 hours sleep in the last 48 hours. Going to church this morning in Philly!

NY City

2008-07-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

We landed in NYC at 3:02 PM. Now it's on to the hostel and then some sightseeing...after baggage claim of course.

NYC here we come!

2008-07-26T11:50:00.000-05:00

After a 21/2 hour layover in Atlanta, we are boarding plane for NYC! That was just enough time for lunch and two games of spades. It's been a long day already, but everything has gone very smoothly so far. We've still got a full day left with getting to the hostel and getting settled and then sightseeing this afternoon and tonight.

Welcome to Atlanta

2008-07-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

It's 10:40 (ET) and we are in Atlanta!

On the Plane

2008-07-26T06:54:00.000-05:00

It's 6:50 AM and here we are sitting on the plane preparing to take off for Atlanta...the first leg of our flight. We had a very easy time clearing security...it was really amazing. We have quite a number of first time flyers on the trip, so there's a lot of excitement and a little apprehension, too. Next stop...Atlanta!

It's 3:30 AM...off to airport

2008-07-26T04:19:00.001-05:00

Well, after a very luxurious nights sleep at the church, it was rise and shine at 2:30 AM to make coffee, start waking kids, and load the highly tricked out school bus that will ferry us to the airport. It's amazing how much traffic is in G-town even at 3:30 in the morning. Right now, it's about 4:00 AM and we are just passing through Benbrook. This day starts with alot of excitement - the plane ride...touring NYC...the sights...the sounds...the people. Ahh, the people...that's what it's all about, the people. People need God's love...that's our mission on this trip. More to come!

Multimedia message

2008-07-18T11:28:00.001-05:00

Hey, it's me!