by Greg | Oct 30, 2008 | Blog Posts
Earlier this month Amy, the boys and I camped somewhere in the middle of the Great Smoky Mountains. We try to camp there at least once a year and every year has a new adventure: poison ivy from the firewood; an unexpected rain coming through an unexpected hole in the tent, ants in the smores, and of course bears. Many of you have heard me recount the bear story but it “bears” repeating (sorry, I know it was an obvious pun but it begged to be written). Last year I was out hiking by myself on one of the back-country trails. The views are always glorious and the trail is nearly always peaceful. I am armed with a walking stick, some water and a pocket knife. A cell phone is not much good on such long hikes since there is no coverage, but I carry one anyway just in case there is a need to identify the body. Around mile five of the hike I began to smell the distinct odor of a wet dog and in my mind I thought, “Oh great, there is a bear in the vicinity.” The odor would not go away and so I developed a mental plan of action of what I was to do if I met a bear on the trail while so far away. I decided my first plan was to turn around and head back to camp. Still, the smell of the wet dog followed me and so I assumed was this heretofore unseen bear. As I was walking and pondering my mortality as well as my escape plan...
by Greg | Oct 8, 2008 | Blog Posts
Last weekend it was out with the old and in with the new. I am referring to my small raised-bed vegetable garden. I cleared out the old tomato vines and pepper plants and reconditioned the soil with a mixture of horse manure and organic fertilizer. Finally it was ready for my fall planting and so I set out a few cabbage plants and scattered seed for collard greens. Collard greens! I love that plant; especially boiled on a stovetop with a healthy slab of fatback or ham hocks (I am not picky). We eat them on New Year’s Day because it is tradition, but from Fall through Winter we eat them because we like them. Actually, just Amy and I like them. Neither of my boys can get past the smell. I was the same way when I was their age, but one day they will grow out of it. Collard greens may smell bed, but they are good for you and a meal unto themselves if accompanied by a generous wedge of cornbread. They are, as my daddy is fond of saying, “good for what ails you.” The best part of keeping a garden is the anticipation. Every day I walk out and look at the seeds half expecting full grown plants. Of course at the time of this writing the seeds have only been in the ground a few days. Still, the waiting and the expecting is part of the journey. Much of what we do in this world is about planting and anticipating. Too often we rush to the end result not realizing that God has...
by Greg | Sep 23, 2008 | Blog Posts
I am a newbie to the “Facebook” world, but through the persistent persuasion of our younger ministers I am now an official Facebook account holder. To the uninitiated, Facebook is an online networking site that is yet another way individuals can connect with one another through the internet. It is a version of a “blog” that can potentially connect you with millions of people, assuming you actually know millions of people. I must say I have enjoyed it in spite of myself. Through Facebook I have reconnected with friends from college days and former churches. I am also discovering that if you want to communicate with youth, Facebook is the way to go. One of the interesting things about Facebook is that a user can create a virtual identity. What I mean by that is the user can create a profile through pictures, books, music and a many other categories. In short, it can be a way to be somebody, electronically speaking. I am thinking about profiling myself as a superhero, like the Hulk or Batman. For me its most amusing feature is the notion of being a friend and inviting others to be a friend. The way a user connects with others is to ask to be a friend or a “friend request.” An email is sent making the request and the other person can accept the request, deny the request, or ignore the request. Making friends through Facebook is rather simplified. It reminds me of my days in Eatonton Grammar School when I was a first grader and asked this beautiful second grader would she be my...
by Greg | Aug 27, 2008 | Blog Posts
…Well, not really. But the pair of shoes I am currently using for jogging is in need of replacement. Over the years I have developed quite a pile of smelly, worn out shoes. Some I retire to yard work. Others are still in decent enough shape to wear casually. Still some are suitable to donate to charity. There have been one or two pairs that Amy has insisted I bury deep into the woods at an undisclosed location. Years ago my method in replacing running shoes was pretty simple: replace them when the soles are worn smooth to the point that you could see my socks or the shoe itself fell apart. I have since learned that if you wait that long to replace shoes you are doing harm to yourself. For a person my size (about 205 pounds, give or take a cheeseburger or two) I should replace my shoes every thirty hours of running. At this point the shoes are not particularly worn to the visible eye. There is still ample tread on the soles and aside from dirt and, well, the aroma of sweat, they are in decent shape. The reason they need to be replaced is that the shock absorption of the shoe is dangerously diminished. The shoe helps take in the pounding of a heavy guy like me and therefore saves my feet, knees and back from too much wear and tear. I suppose there are all sorts of life analogies that can be made: the danger of wearing others out beyond repair; guests that hang around too long stink; or save your “soul”...
by Greg | Aug 20, 2008 | Blog Posts
There are few things in the world that generates more excitement in my life than an opportunity to eat. Going on picnics is a bonus. I do not know if it is the fried chicken or the deviled eggs or chasing yellow jackets, but I enjoy a picnic. When you think about it, what is so great about eating outside? Unless you are an etymologist, few people want to eat their food in the company of ants and flying creatures. The picnics I like best are the ones that are shared in the company of others. Ten or so years ago I attended one of the most interesting picnics ever in my life. Instead of hearing phrases like, “pass the fried chicken” or, “put another hot dog on the grill”, I heard remarks like, “falafel anyone?” and, “would you like some more dumas?” The red clay and pine thicket of a campground on Lake Allatoona was transformed into a little Kurdistan. I was part of the Georgia Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s effort to resettle Kurdish refugees, and all the participating churches hosted a picnic for our guests. Everyone was invited, but our special guests were our Kurdish friends. There were more than 200 Kurds attending this great picnic. Some of the Kurdish families had not seen one another for some time because their persecution in Iraq had separated families and friends. You can imagine the joyous reunion many of them shared at our picnic. Perhaps this was a small example of what Jesus meant when he prayed, “thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” On a hot,...
by Greg | Jun 18, 2008 | Blog Posts
The other day I was out pulling weeds and snipping some roses while Aaron was supervising (yes, I know that the roles are reversed). Aaron noticed that we were being watched…by a squirrel…more specifically a baby squirrel. Upon closer inspection it was not just one baby squirrel but several. A family of squirrels is living in our bird house designed for bluebirds. Over the years I have chased away woodpeckers, chicken snakes and occasionally neighbors but never had I faced the notion of an eviction notice for squirrels. Of course baby squirrels are too cute to kick out on the street, so I suppose I will just have to learn to live with them for a while. Several years ago I read with amusement that Dr. Bill Self, pastor of Johns Creek Baptist Church, preached a series of sermons entitled: Squirrels in the Attic and Water in the Basement. I have much respect for Dr. Self but I have no idea where he was going with that series. He certainly had my curiosity, which may have been the point. For me “squirrels in the attic” is personal. Over the years I have had a few squirrels who have attempted to take up residence in our attic. Now that I reflect on all this a bit further, maybe what Dr. Self meant by the title “Squirrels in the Attic” is that in the course of life we are inconvenienced by the uninvited. One day we have squirrels in the attic the next our child is sick with the flu. Sometimes the surprises are relatively trivial. But we all know there...
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...
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