The Gospel of the Second Chance

In the movie Apollo 13, Gary Sinise played astronaut Ken Mattingly who had worked for years in order to be one of the 24 astronauts to actually travel from the Earth to the Moon. Just days before launch, it was discovered that Ken had been exposed to the measles and he was grounded from the trip to the moon. This was what he had dreamed about since he was a kid and now his shot at the moon was taken away at the last minute. What did he do? I’m sure he was a little disappointed but later he was pivotal in aiding the Apollo 13 crew return safely home.

Have you ever had a one-shot-chance at something? Maybe it was sports related – that one free-throw to win the big game or the hail-Mary pass at the last second of the Super Bowl.

How did you feel when you realized that you would not have another chance at it? What emotions were running through you? How did you react? 

This is a reality of the world we live in – that there aren’t many second chances. Our world tells us, “It’s now or never!”; “Around here, we don’t tolerate incompetence.”; “Not much room at the top.”; “Three strikes and you’re out!”; “It’s a dog-eat-dog world!”.

We don’t get a lot of second chances at the things in our lives. We try as hard as we possibly can, and we still can’t cut the mustard, not all the time. We fail. Say that out loud, “We fail”. Now, personalized it, instead say, “I fail”. If we are honest, we can all think of times in our lives where we were unable to accomplish or achieve something.

Somewhere along the way, we messed up.

This can cause us to begin to look at ourselves as hopeless or worthless. Some people even get to the point where they can no longer live with all the failures in their lives. And we have all been guilty of judging others according to their successes and failures.

Who gets the Super Bowl ring? Not the Patriots. Who gets the praise of the teacher? Not the kid with a big fat “F” on their paper.

Our world rewards those who win and accomplish their goals, and then ignores or ridicules those who lose. Right?

Just ask Peter. Just a few days before Christ went to the cross, he had blown it!

Mark 14:66-72

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.  When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word

Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Peter had just denied even knowing a man he had sworn to die for! Talk about a failure, talk about worthless, but that was Peter

.

Jesus had an answer to the fact that sometimes those around us write us when we fail the first time. He taught us not to let a bunch of other failures tell us how much of a failure we are.

Mark 16:1-7

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each

other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Did you catch those words that make all the difference. They aren’t the words we would normally think of; “He has risen” or “He is not here”. Those are important but they are not what show us the depth of His love. When the angel spoke to the women, he made a point of using two very small words. Do you see them in verse 7? He tells them to go tell the disciples what they have seen…and Peter.

Peter was pointed out by the Heavenly messenger who God Himself had sent. God wanted Peter to know that even though he had failed, that Jesus was the gospel of the second chance. I can almost see the smile on the angel’s face as he names the human who had failed so miserably just a few days earlier. “Tell the disciples…and Peter.”

It’s not everyday that you get a second chance. Peter must have known that. The next time he saw Jesus, he got so excited that he barely got his britches on before he jumped into the cold water of the Sea of Galilee. It was also enough, so they say, to cause this

backwoods Galilean to carry the Gospel of the second chance all the way to Rome where they killed him. If you’ve ever wondered what would cause a man to be willing to be crucified upside down, maybe now you know.

Even Ken Mattingly got another shot at the moon. Two years after the events of Apollo 13, he was the command module pilot of Apollo 16 which successfully made the long trip to the moon, performed all assigned tasks and returned safely. Jesus was always telling people, “Sure, you can have a second chance.” And He might

have glanced over at one of His disciples, the big, smelly fisherman. Jesus knew who Peter was and what he was going to do in the days before the crucifixion. Jesus had given the second chance to the woman by the well, to ten lepers, to a certain small tax collector. And He does the same thing for us.

It’s not often that you find someone that will give you a second chance – much less someone who will give you a second chance everyday.

But in Jesus, just like Peter, we find both.

We usually render worship in adoration toward God and associate it with good, uplifting, even ecstatic feelings. Worship is often focused upward and can embody the qualities of holiness, reverence and awe. We see ourselves as givers, and God as the recipient. 

Warring, on the other hand, involves taking a stand, overcoming a threat, invading territory or conquering an enemy. In war, we often view ourselves as defenders against a dangerous force or sustainers of righteousness and truth. This is true in spiritual as well as in physical conflicts.

In the typical scenario worship has not been part of the battle plan; it has come only in the form of thanksgiving after a victory. In the physical, or earthly realm, we tend to worship the human heroes of battle and add God as an afterthought. In spiritual conquests, the Almighty gets all of the praise, but we still see warfare and worship as two separate acts. 

God is calling us to bridge worship and spiritual warfare. I asked a dear Christian brother how he would define worship and he answered “warfare and witnessing”. That definition dove-tailed his spiritual gifts. Our worship is multifaceted but genuine worship for each believer goes hand in hand with our individual Spirit given spiritual gifts. Spiritual warfare brings in to play the “armor of God” and each believer functioning in their spiritual gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit.

JUST SAY THE WORD

Luke 7:1-10

1 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum. 2 At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer was sick and near death. 3 When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave. 4 So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said, 5 “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.” 6 So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. 7 I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 8 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” 10 And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. 

As you read the Gospels, you don’t see Jesus giving a lot of accolades. One of the few people Jesus commended was a military man, a gentile, a Roman. In many respects this was an unlikely event from a human perspective.

This Roman centurion was stationed in or near Capernaum – up on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. A centurion was roughly the equivalent in rank to a Captain in the Army or Marine Corps. At one time centurions had 100 men under them. This may have varied from time to time. 

The Roman historian Polybius, writing before the time of Christ, said that centurions had the following qualifications:

 Ability to command

 Did not seek danger

 Steady in action

 Reliable

 Capable of standing one’s ground

 Prepared to die at their posts

This particular centurion had a slave who was at the point of death. He cared for his slave and had probably sought every means that conventional medicine had to offer to save the slave’s life. None of this had worked.

So, this centurion convinced some of the Jewish elders to find Jesus and enlist His help in restoring the slave to health. The Jewish elders gladly sought Jesus out. This was unusual because of the great hostility that existed between the Jews and their Roman overlords. But this centurion represented Rome well in these difficult circumstances. He was no stoic. He loved the Jewish people and he was generous. He had even built them a synagogue.

The Jewish elders who found Jesus told Him that the centurion was worthy of help because of who he was and what he had done. Jesus left what He was doing and began walking with the elders to the centurion’s house. Before they could reach the house, the centurion sent friends out to intercept Jesus and tell Him that the centurion wasn’t worthy to have Jesus come under his roof. This centurion had many strengths, but he showed a genuine humility toward Jesus who had no social status.

The centurion told his friends to tell Jesus to just say the word. That’s all. Just say the word, and the centurion’s servant would be healed. The centurion said, in effect, I know how this works from my own experience. I tell one to go and he goes. I tell another to come and he comes. I tell a slave to do this and he does it. Just say the word.

When Jesus heard this, He was amazed at the faith of this military man. “I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel!!” Jesus had known many people over the course of His life. He had known godly people like His mother and Joseph, His step-father. But of all these people in the land in which God had abundantly revealed Himself, He had not found one who had so great a faith as this Gentile, this Roman, this military man.

Just say the word.

When the centurion’s friends returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

Luke 7:1-10 (ref. Luke 23:47, Acts 10:22; 22:26; 23:17, 23; 24:23; 27:1, 43)

While recently attending the funeral of a Pastor friend and also my son in the Lord, Nancy and I ran into Dr. John Woodruff, a charter member of the church we planted in Tifton.  John, a renowned crop scientist and very dear friend, told me about a spiritual experience he had that was so profound it prompted to write a book.

The book, Let’s Go And Do Likewise describes how this experience opened his eyes to the importance of not only loving our neighbors as ourselves but by also putting that directive into real, tangible action. 

The scriptural reference for the book was the passage in Luke 10 where a keeper of the Law asked Jesus to define the term “neighbor.”  Jesus replies with the parable of the good Samaritan.  Jesus then ends the conversation with the other half of the “loving your neighbor” commandment with a very direct instruction.  GO and DO likewise.

We at CFC are rapidly becoming more and more known as an inviting, accepting, and loving people. We are also exhibiting those virtues through corporate outreach to our surrounding neighbors.

Dr. Woodruff however, defines the characters as individuals in the parable according to their respective attitudes.  The wounded man was simply a person with a great need and receptive to help from anyone.  The thieves exemplified the attitude that “it’s all about me.”  The Priest and Levite clearly portrayed the idea that “what’s mine is mine and is not available for sharing.”  The good Samaritan on the other hand exhibited the attitude that “what is mine is available for sharing.”  He alone made a decision of the heart and by putting his heart attitude into action was truly a good neighbor.

We can all find ourselves in one or more of these categories at any given time based upon our heart condition.  I (we) all need to be encouraged by the song describing the merciful action of Jesus who “looked beyond our faults and saw our needs” then GO AND DO LIKEWISE to our neighbors. 

Blessings

Four years ago my family was planning a vacation overseas.  And when I say “planning” I mean we were really ready to go – airline tickets had been bought, passports updated, B&B booked – expecting to GO!  We were supposed to leave on a Tuesday, but on the Thursday before then, the country we were going to, suddenly closed its borders.  You remember, a little thing called COVID had hit.  Well of course our first reaction was one of disappointment – WHAT, we can’t go because of a little virus!  But as I began to think through what had happened I began to realize that IF we had gone when we planned to, the chances were good (or rather bad) that we could easily have been “trapped” in that country for who knows how long – unable to return to our homes and the remainder of our family.

Three years ago a close friend of ours passed away after a difficult battle with cancer.  What I remember most about that four year fight?  Not the trips to Mayo in Jacksonville, the chemo, the radiation – I remember her motto: “God’s got a plan, God’s got a plan.”  As a believer, she never got discouraged, never gave up, her faith never wavered. It was probably the most memorable example of someone who has complete confidence in her Heavenly Father.

So when we make our plans, even for each day, our goal should be to discover what His plan is for our day.  I’m not going to quote you Jeremiah 29:11, you already know it – but it is so true that His plans for us are so much higher, better, so full of hope.  He is so trustworthy and loving towards us. 

Now I’m not a big fan of Shakespeare, but he once said “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.”  I have found that to be so true.  We make our plans and then something changes them – unexpected things pop up:  a flat tire, a missed airline connection, you oversleep, you drop you phone and it breaks.  Unexpected changes to your plan.  But wait, maybe that flat tire kept you from being in an accident, maybe that missed airplane meant you had an opportunity to witness to someone while you waited, and while oversleeping isn’t a good thing it’s not the worst thing.  Making a plan usually makes for a more organized day, but I really believe it has to have some built-in flexibility.  We need to be ready to recognize when God is doing something we had not planned for, but that it is in His plan for us.

My wife and I are both retired so our plans are probably a bit more flexible that some others.  But we often joke “Well what have we got planned for tomorrow that will probably change.”  I could list several instances, but I’ll give you just one:  Two weeks ago I got a call from a friend who lives in another state and he said his mom (who lives here by herself) was in terrible pain and would we go check on her.  Fortunately we were able to do so:  we took her to the walk-in clinic, then to get an ultra-sound, then to the pharmacy, and back home.  She is doing much better.

My point is that God places us in situations that we may not fully understand immediately, so that we can be used to fulfill His plan – for us, yes, and perhaps for someone else.  It amazes me that the Creator of the universe says that He has plans for ME!!  And as a believer He has a plan for you.  Most of the time He reveals His plan to us in His instruction manual – the Bible.  But as we seek Him more and more, through study, prayer, and the counsel of other believers, His plan becomes more and more obvious.

My heart tells me that His heart is towards me.

Making our plans is necessary, learning His plan for us is paramount.

Be blessed, be a blessing

Stan

We are living in a world filled with chaos, crime, division, wars, and hate. I have heard many lament about the futures of our kids and grandkids. It is difficult to think about what they may be faced with in this world. As we catch ourselves thinking about the future what are we to do? Let us unpack the root of these feelings. Where do these negative feelings come from? These feelings emanate from an internal restlessness, a lack peace, experienced both physically, spiritually, or mentally. Parking your mind to long in these feelings will affect your personal relationship with Jesus.

I ran across a phrase recently “having Hope within the hurt” and it made stop in my tracks. The world is hurting but we believers have Hope and this Hope comes from Jesus and His promises. Titus 1:2 tells us: our faith is “based on the hope and divine guarantee of eternal life, the life which God, who is ever truthful and without deceit, promised before the ages of time began.”

 “Having Hope within the hurt” is a variation of the saying “looking at a glass as half full or half empty”, or in this case whether you look to the future with Hope or hurt. The Hope that only Jesus provides is seeing the future with excitement and great expectations. The hurt I speak of is looking at the future with anxiety or through depression. We must face the fact that depression comes from living too much in your past, and anxiety comes from living too much in your future. We must actively pursue living in the present moment with God. Living each moment with God is the only way both anxiety and depression can be healed. How do we live our lives? Is the glass half empty or half full? Do you live each moment with the joy that comes from the Hope only Jesus can bring or are the hurts of the world pulling us down into anxiety or depression?

God creates circumstances in our lives that draw us near to Him so He can transform our lives; giving us Hope rather than despair - love instead of resentment an bitterness - joy in place of depression - and peace as opposed to fear or anxiety. The Word of God instructs us:

1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He loves and cares about you watchfully.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will not fail you or let go or forsake you; fear not, neither become broken in spirit - depressed or unnerved with alarm.”

Go back to the daily time you have spent with God in prayer and in His Word and bring the light of the SON in your life today!

Christians can use their personal prayer life to diagnosis themselves as to whether they are living life with the glass being half full or half empty. Ask yourself, what is the form of my daily prayers? Does my prayer life reflect anxiety by asking God to help me overcome the adversity in my life or do my prayers reflect an emphasis on Jesus’s Hope? This Hope seated in the love, grace, and mercy of a loving God. Visualizing and walking through life’s journey with full dependence on God’s promises. The Hope that never compromises and will never go away, but we must depend on God every moment of every day. Even if we are in the midst of adversity, sickness, depression, loss, or want.

If we are honest with ourselves we’ve all been there. Do something about it today!

Blessings,

Brad

Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are found in Galatians 5, where Paul is teaching us about the fruits of the Spirit.  In Galatians 5: 22-23, Paul writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Probably my favorite part of that passage is the very last phrase, “Against such things there is no law.” 

Believe it or not, that phrase makes me think of the worst-case scenario that might result from living our lives as believers. Have you ever thought about what might happen if we have falsely placed our belief in the Gospels?  What if we live our lives for Jesus, according to the principles of Scripture, only to die and fade into oblivion – no heavenly reward, no streets of gold; What if nothing awaits us on the other side of death?  Even the apostle Paul contemplates this possibility. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is writing to some who are claiming that Jesus did not rise from the grave, to which Paul responds that if this is true, then our hope in Jesus is false and “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (vs. 19)

Ostensibly, we are the ‘most to be pitied’ because we have placed our hope in a false hope, and it will lead to nothing. However, Galatians 5 tells us something else; What kind of legacy will we leave if we live our lives in such a way that we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit to those around us? Even if we don’t receive the gift of eternal life, we will still show love, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and patience to those in our lives, and that will leave a wonderful legacy where our loved-ones will know that we cherished them, and valued them, and loved them!  If this is the worst-case scenario for my life, then sign me up!

I have always told each of my kids that I love them as much as I can. There is no competition between for my love because I am giving as much of my love to each of them as I can! That is the legacy that I want to leave for them, and I think that the best way that I can do that is to live my life in the faith that I have, believing that Jesus has died for me, and my best response is to live in obedience and submission to him. The life that I then live will exhibit the fruits of the spirit, and will be a blessing to those around me.

This worst-case scenario, however, is not where I want to leave this thought however, because Paul did not stop in 1 Corinthians 15 with the position that Christians are the most to be pitied of all people.  In 1 Corinthians 15: 20-22, Paul says, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”  This is the best-case scenario that comes from living our lives as believers – we have the promise of eternal life!

Everything that scripture calls for us to strive for a) involves what is best for us both individually and collectively, b) leads to a life worth living in the here-and-now, and c) comes with the promise of the inheritance of Jesus Christ – living for all eternity in the presence of the Triune God. This life is not a life of selfish indulgence, but selfishness brings division, and loneliness. It is a life of self-sacrifice as we love others. If we all do that together (live self-sacrificially, giving ourselves to the good of others) we will receive back blessings from many others who will be putting our interests first.  Let’s live our lives together for God!

Communion with the living God is the essence of true worship. 

We are made in God’s image, we were created to have a close one on one relationship with Him; thus, when fellowship is broken, we are incomplete and need restoration. Communion with the living God is the essence of worship, it is vital, touching the very core of our lives. True worship and oneness with God begins as we confess our sin and accept Christ as the only one who can redeem us from sin and help us approach God. 

Worship is multifaceted. 

• We worship God with our daily lives
• We worship God by how our lives relate to others
• We worship God in private confession, public service, and in group celebration. 

Honest pure worship consists of more than just singing or just praise. In John 4:23-24 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” So I have to get a grasp of “spirit" and “truth". 

It is the believer’s responsibility to discover how the Lord wants to be worshipped and to explore and cultivate a relationship with Him out of which sincere, Holy Spirit enabled worship will flow. Jesus instructs this: worship in “spirit” – that is alive through new birth and glowing with Holy Spirit enablement. This is not mechanical, rote, or merely human activity but dynamically capacitated spiritual action. “In truth” emphasizes biblical integrity joined to personal honesty, manifested in a heart of sincerity, a humble manner of transparency, and a relational integrity. As I write this, I am struck by how complicated it sounds in my mind. God’s love is the great simplifier of His Word. Learn to rely on God’s love for you. So, I have started to simply draw near to God consistently every day and as scripture says “If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us” James 4:8. I think I can do that. And I think I can trust and depend on God as He takes care for the rest. He loves us with an everlasting Love.

As believers, we are given several commands in the Bible as to who we should love. The good news is that, we are only told to love members of three different groups. 

The first group that we are commanded to love is our brothers and sisters in Christ – we are to love our church family! In 1 John 4: 11, the apostle John writes, “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” This first group is probably the easiest group to love, because other believers are much like ourselves! 

The second group that we are commanded to love as believers is our neighbors. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus reveals that the definition of a neighbor is broader than just the person next door. In Luke 29, Jesus tells of a Jewish man who was attacked and beaten by robbers as he was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a Levite (both Jews) passed him by, but a Samaritan (with whom the Jews were not supposed to associate) stopped to help him, thereby loving him as a neighbor should. The implication here is that our neighbors include all those who might cross our path – whether they are “like us” or not. This is a bit more challenging, but it is one that our church has tackled via our outreach to our neighbors on Connell Road over the last several years.

The third group that we are commanded to love as believers is our enemies.

Gulp.

In Matthew chapter 5:43-44, Jesus tells us, “You have heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’, but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” It is this kind of love that Jesus showed to each of us when he came to die for us.  We were all sinners, who had alienated ourselves from God, and yet he chose to sacrifice himself in our place. 

Now, if you look over the list of groups that we are to love – our brothers, our neighbors, and our enemies – you may notice that everyone is included in one of these three groups. We are to love everyone! In high school, I had a Bible teacher (obviously at a Christian school) who was a Ph.D.-level theologian.  He told us that the biblical definition of love (as Jesus had demonstrated) was self-sacrifice – placing others and their needs before ourselves. This is tough to do, but it is exactly what Jesus modeled for us throughout his life, and even in his death.

The best way for us to do this in our lives as believers is to make every effort to show compassion to those around us. There are numerous occasions in the ministry of Jesus that we are told that he saw the people around him and was filled with compassion for them. When he was filled with compassion, he ministered to them and met their earthly needs – feeding them food, healing the sick, etc… There are many things that people of the world are passionate about, and their level of passion for their beliefs can match our own passion for our beliefs. What truly sets us apart in the world as believers is our love – our compassion. This is how we can let our light shine in the world, and point to Jesus!

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season there are those that are struggling with grief, loss, and sadness. It is this group that I believe God would have me speak to today.

God wants you to realize that He loves you just the way you are. 

Hebrews 13:5 reads ”...I will never leave you or forsake you” 

If you will let the truth of that scripture rest in your heart the struggles will leave. God’s light will chase the darkness away. Take a moment today and yield every thought and emotion to Him. He loves you with an everlasting love. Let Him be Lord of your life in every way. Let Him wrap his arms around you and give you rest and peace.

The lyrics of a song written by Jason Crabb express what I am trying share. I love you and so does Jesus. I wish you great blessings as we honor our Savior’s birth, death, and resurrection!

I can’t tell you why you’re walking through this valley

I can’t tell you just how long you’ve gotta stay

I can’t tell you why your heart feels so unsettled or when this all will change

But I can tell you there is something you can lean on

It’s a promise that won’t bend and it won’t break

And it will keep you when the future is uncertain

You’re not out of grace

You see, when the darkness overwhelms you and the fear just won’t subside

When your questions outweigh answers on those long and lonely nights

Friend, you’ve gotta keep on moving He is with you in the valley of despair and He won’t leave you there

He is with you when you think you just won’t make it and He is right there when it looks like hope is lost

You’re gonna find out He’s nothing less than faithful so keep holding on, keep holding on

There has never been a moment

There will never be a day

He’s not strong enough to rescue

He’s not strong enough to save

No, He won’t leave you there

He won’t leave you

He won’t leave you there

Hey Y'all.  This is Bruce Merriman.  Because of  our many daily distractions, here is what is on my heart lately:

A Broadway musical, "Man of La Mancha" ,  based upon a 16th century book, "Don Quixote", produced  a song that became very popular in the 1970's.  That song "The Impossible Dream" was one that inspired the listener to practice perseverance and integrity while on a quest of the utmost importance.  While the theology of the song is not perfect, it does point us in a truly right direction.  The lyrics in part are: 

This is my quest/to follow that star, no matter how hopeless/no matter how far, to fight for the right/ without question or pause, to be willing to march into hell/for a heavenly cause.

As we are in the Advent season and heading toward Christmas, I am very mindful of the account of the Magi in Matthew's gospel.  Some traditions hold that those wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles following that star to complete their quest to locate the Christ Child, The King of the Jews.  The contemporary Christmas Carol says they traveled far over "field and fountain, moor and mountain".  There is no indication that they ever lost sight of that quest to find, present gifts, and worship Jesus.

The collective quest of the eldership at CFC is to be guided by the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and in our leadership here.  This is a quest that requires each of us in this body to not only love Jesus with our whole hearts but to persevere in seeking His direction, comfort, and even correction as we serve Him together. May we never lose this focus "no matter how hopeless no matter how far".

Merry Christmas with love and blessings