by Greg | Jun 12, 2008 | Blog Posts
I own several Hawaiian shirts, but none came from Hawaii. I have bought a couple from Target and who knows where they were originally made. My favorite is from St. George. It was a second hand shirt, presumably found along the beach and I think I paid five or so dollars for it. I take it with me every vacation down there. Amy and I were browsing in a department store last week and we looked at a nice selection of Hawaiian shirts, but they were all in the $100 price range – no thanks! Recently I learned of a shop that sells vintage Hawaiian shirts (in Hawaii of course). It is called “Bailey’s Antiques and Aloha Shirts” and is evidently popular with the rich and famous. Jimmy Buffett, guru of all things laid back, allegedly bought one for $4000! And I thought a hundred bucks was a ridiculous sum. I will stick with the ones washed up on the beach or if I must have a new one Target will be sufficient. I like the idea of moving from power suits to swim suits, from starched shirts to Hawaiian shirts. Chilling out, as my teenagers put it, is just a contemporary reordering of the words of the Psalmist: It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. (127:2) Taken to the extreme it is a recipe for laziness, but understood properly God would have us, I believe, chill out more and stress out less. How about it? Do you need...
by Greg | May 12, 2008 | Blog Posts
She would arise in the dark hours of the morning and see to it that my sister, brothers and I awoke to a crackling blaze in the fireplace. While we were not the wealthiest family in Putnam County, we ate like royalty. Biscuits were her specialty, but she was not bad with fried chicken or mashed potatoes either. Everyone in our family called her Nannan – my grandmother. She died just over four years ago and I still miss her. There is another mother in my life. I have known her for only 19 years, but she is solidly part of my family. Every few weeks I join my siblings along with our own children to return to the place we still call home and share in one another’s laughter, career woes and boast of our children with this special mother. She is my father’s wife, and we affectionately call her Diane. There is one other mom I should introduce to you. She can spot a fever on a child’s brow days before a thermometer can register one. She organizes the home, puts up with my sophmoric humor and critiques my sermons. She is not bad at making biscuits either! I have known her for more than 21 years – 20 of which we have shared in marriage. My children call her mamma or sometimes just plain ol’ mom. They sometimes get exasperated with being told to pick up their rooms or hang up the bathroom towels, but they never question her deep love and devotion for our family. There have been other mothers in my life – Sunday...
by Greg | May 1, 2008 | Blog Posts
Caring for the poor is one of the messages for my sermon series: Here I Stand – Issues the Church Should Care About. Below are statics and links to help better inform the believer on how we can be involved. According to the National Association of Evangelicals a ten percent reduction in poverty equals and 30 percent reduction in abortions. A United Nations report states that 854 million people in the world suffer from the effects of hunger. The organization Bread for the World reports: In developing countries nearly 16 million children die every year from preventable and treatable causes. Sixty percent of these deaths are from hunger and malnutrition. In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger. Research from the journal Pediatrics shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger. Golden Harvest Food Bank has served over 140,000 senior adults in this 25 county region. In addition they have served nearly 194,000 children in the same region. During the year it is not uncommon for a child to receive only one hot meal a day and that will be the free lunch they are provided at school. To explore how you can be a part of our church’s Benevolence Ministry which includes a food pantry, financial and legal counseling, as well as assistance with utilities, please contact...
by Greg | Apr 24, 2008 | Blog Posts
For my sermon “Caring for Creation” (April 27, 2008) I benefitted from numerous resources. Here are just a few of the links that I believe are important reading for the believer seeking to learn more and act responsibly regarding caring for creation: http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences/ – This short and entertaining survey measures how many earths it would take to support one’s personal lifestyle. Sadly, my lifestyle (which I always thought was modest) would require 5 planets. In other words, not everyone on earth could live like I live. http://www.christiansandclimate.org/statement – Nearly 100 leading evangelical leaders signed “Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action”. The document called on other evangelicals and other Christians to recognize that climate change is real, that it affects the poor disproportionately, and that it is a moral imperative for Christians to respond to the problem. Speaking of Faith – One of my favorite podcasts and radio programs. This one addresses creation care from a faith standpoint. http://nwf.blogs.com/nwf_view/ – The president of the National Wildlife Federation, Larry Schweiger, is an evangelical Christian. You may find his blog useful. http://www.peachtreebaptist.net/ministries/faith-environment/ – Peachtree Baptist Church, where my friend Robert Walker is pastor, has taken a particularly active role in faith and the environment. http://www.gipl.org/home.html – Georgia Interfaith Power & Light is a resource for faith communities interested in doing more in creation...
by Greg | Apr 23, 2008 | Blog Posts
Actually I only own two acres and so having a back forty is not just impractical, it is inaccurate. My space that I am writing about is the back 48, as in 48 square feet. It all started last week when Aaron and I decided to pretend that we were farmers and built a raised bed vegetable garden. I loaded the top of my MINI with lumber to build an 8×6 bed and hauled dirt for the garden (1,250 pounds to be exact. I had to make three trips to the store loading the back of the car with fifty pound bags). Four hours, and several tomato, cucumber, squash and pepper plants later we are now farmers. Clark supplied several tomato plants that he had started from seed, so we are excited to see them grow. The work of farming is really just beginning. There is the matter of keeping the plants watered and fertilized and of course chasing squirrels, rabbits and other varmints out. We hope for a harvest by this summer, but much of the joy is in the process. I am a firm believer that everyone ought to grow something, whether it is an heirloom tomato plant or a geranium. For several years now we have been growing weeds in our lawn and to my delight I found out that the definition of a weed is any unwanted plant. By changing my outlook I now no longer have weeds – just one large, diverse collection of various grass species. Growing things is practically Biblical. In Genesis 1:28 – “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth...
by Greg | Apr 22, 2008 | Blog Posts
We had a bit of a tragedy at our home this week. When a say a “bit” I mean a very small bit. I was out the door heading to the Deacons meeting when my oldest son Clark stopped me and gave me the news that “catfish” was dead. Catfish is the fairly unoriginal name of the fish that looked like a catfish swimming in our aquarium. The fish, of course, was no longer swimming, but was – how can I put this? – belly-up dead. I assured my eldest that proper arrangements would be made but in the meantime he had to take care of the problem. While our deacon body is an empathetic gathering, I doubt the death of one of our aquarium fish would garner a prayer request let alone a visitation accompanied by the requisite casserole. When I returned that night Amy informed me that a proper funeral was held, complete with personal remarks and reflections and music. It seems that my wife sung “I’ll Flush Away” to the tune of “I’ll Fly Away” while Clark accompanied her on the mandolin. I could not make stuff like this up in our house. Aaron was no where to be seen (can you blame him?) He was either too grief-stricken, or more probably plotting a way to poison the other fish. In spite of the pall of death hovering in our household (more specifically in our septic tank; Catfish was buried with honors down the toilet) our part of the world is surrounded by life. Spring peepers are croaking during the night and birds are nesting and...
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