Easter Sunday

We started off the day, dark and cold, with a sunrise service at a local park. It was neat to see people from the community gathering, moving around in the pre-dawn shadows, to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We had a very inspiring service on Thursday night with lots of music and dramatic sketches. It ended on a very somber note. But on Easter there was an excitement, anticipation, for what was to come.

I love the singing. A couple of guys from our group sang a song called "Arise, my love" which speculated about the words God spoke to Jesus on that first "Lord's Day"--powerful. Very moving. Thanks Mark and Jeremy for making this Easter so memorable!

Death and Taxes

Had a visit with the friendly IRS folks at the Federal Building in a nearby metropolis. They say we owe some back taxes. I usually do my own taxes, but sought the advice of a professional after receiving the letter from the IRS. According to our tax preparer I have overpaid them each of the last 20 years or so. So we're back and forth, trying to get it all sorted out. Ironic that this occurred on "Good Friday"--execution day.

It's a sad day. Six years ago today my dad passed away. He was 66 at the time. I miss him soooo much. I heard his voice last Sunday during the race. As I turned onto the boardwalk on the oceanfront, with about a quarter-mile to go, finish line in site, I swear I heard my dad's voice, "You did it! That a boy! I'm so proud of you!!" So I finished the race with tears rolling down my cheeks and a big grin on my face.

My weight had been a concern to my dad. He was so afraid I would end up like him and checking out way before my time. He would have been thrilled to see me, 75 pounds lighter, finishing a 13 mile race. I was expecting it to be physically taxing (pun intended) but the emotions caught me off guard, blindsided me.

Anyway, Friday was a tough day in more ways than one.

Elementary Assembly

I was asked to lead an assembly at a local christian school. An interesting and unique opportunity. The challenge was to explain Easter from a cultural perspective without proselytizing. So we talked about springtime and seasons. We talked about candy and the easter bunny.

I had some dyed eggs to share. I cracked a pretty pink one, peeled off the shell and shared it with a couple of second graders (yes, I washed my hands first). I then cracked a beautiful teal colored egg. "Yuk!" the children exclaimed as the yolk and white of a raw egg emerged. "Oops! I forgot to cook that one".

The third egg, a bright yellow one, was cracked open to gasps and "oooh"s as there was nothing inside. Empty. Just a shell. (I had dyed it, then made a little pin-hole in each end and blown out the yolk). "That's what Easter is all about", I said. "Some women who followed a man named Jesus went to his grave and were amazed to find it empty". "Many people believe he came back to life, others think the body was stolen by his followers who started the rumor that he was alive". "That is what Easter is really all about. For around 2000 years Christians have been celebrating that event".

I thought I had done a pretty good job: creative, engaging, high praise from the teachers.
Then as the children were exiting I heard one say to another, "so on Easter a long time ago Jesus opened his egg, but the Easter Bunny forgot to put anything inside..."

*sigh*

Hold On Just a Sec...

Apparently there were some rules violations in
the Shamrock Half-Marathon Race-Walking Division last Sunday.
After the smoke cleared, the official results look a little differently:

Congrats to Rebecca Garson of Afton, VA who led the whole pack and posted a time of 2:15:37 (10 min, 22 sec. per mile). The leading male, and second-place overall went to Scott Stakes of Portsmouth, VA with a time of 2 Hours and 23 mins (10:55/mile).

I finished with the 26th fastest time in a field of 245, and 4th among the men.

Half-Marathon Man

Wow, what a weekend! Virginia Beach hosted the Shamrock 8k on Saturday--sunny and 67 degrees--an absolutely beautiful day. The Half-Marathon on Sunday was a different story weather wise. It rained all night and tapered off just before daybreak.

The start was at 7:00a.m., pre-dawn. The temp was 49 degrees with a 25 mile head wind and a wind chill in the high thirties. The rain stopped, but with overcast skies the temperatures didn't climb much higher as the morning wore on.

Enough of the negative--the whole day was a blast! I finished the 13.1 miles and have the hardware to prove it.

For the Half-Marathon Race Walk there were 279 competitors; 41 men and 238 women. I came in 53rd overall and 11th among the men. My time was 3:03:28, a pace of 14:01/mile. Congrats to Joshua Dixon of Wilmington, NC who posted the winning time of 1:22:15 (6:17/mile) and Mary Lou Hoffman of Lockport, NY who led all the women and most of the guys at 1:58:53 (9:08/mile).

So I was a little off the leader's paces, but I'll take it. In training I usually work at 15 minute miles, or 4 miles per hour. So I was shocked at my pace. Nine months ago I was 73 pounds heavier and facing some extremely serious health problems. Today was graduation.

I am especially grateful to my family, and my online friends--Brian, Caroline and Darla--for your encouragement and support. Sham Rock On!

A Worthy Cause

Millions of people on the planet have no shoes and 98% of them are children. The leading cause of illness and loss of legs & feet in children is ring worm and other diseases obtained by walking barefoot through nasty water, etc.
One organization seeking to address this problem is Soles4Souls.

We found out about this group while in Virginia Beach this weekend for the Shamrock Marathon (my wife and daughter will be in the 8k (4.97 miles) on Saturday and I'll be in the Half-Marathon (13.1 mile) Race Walk on Sunday).

Just a reminder of how blessed we are and how often we take things like shoes and clean water for granted--and how I need to do more to help my global neighbors who don't have it as easy as I do.

Driving My Dog Crazy

So I was working out of the home office this morning--catching up on correspondence, doing research for sermon preparation, and getting some thoughts together for an upcoming funeral (there have been a lot of those lately).

I got a wild idea. I had a turkey thawing in the fridge--a 15 pound Butterball--and decided to go ahead and cook it up. So at 9:30am the bird went in the oven--325 degrees for 3 and a half hours.

The incredible smell along with the sizzling sound was driving my dog crazy. Whining and salivating, he was beside himself with anticipation. It was pretty, and the best tasting turkey I think I've ever eaten. Not bad for a first try, if I do say so myself.

To all the folks at Butterball--thank you; thank you very much!

Dancing with Strangers

The weather was inclement the other day and I didn't think I'd get a chance to go for a brisk walk. So after I dropped my son off at school I remembered the mall opens early for the walkers. It was niiiiice having the cushion of carpet instead of the asphalt, and I got a lot of curious looks since I was by far the youngest among us.

The seniors gather upstairs at the food court to get Mickey D's coffee and enjoy conversation between laps or after their workout. So as I waited for the elevator I violated one of my own pet peeves (I hate it when that happens). In my haste to get on with the day's duties, I moved to enter the elevator as soon as the door began to open, assuming there were no passengers about to exit.

She was at least 80 years old, stood no more than five feet tall, bent with age and steadying herself with a cane. Apparently she and I share the same pet peeve about elevator intruders and as I moved in she snapped, "So what do you want, a dance?!"

Busted. I stepped back, bowed at the waist while offering an open hand, and to her surprise extended the invitation, "A thousand pardons my dear lady; would you perhaps rescue me from my own rudeness, and brighten this dreary morning by allowing me the pleasure of that dance."

And so she stepped from the elevator, giggling with delight as we waltzed to the muzac playing overhead. She made my day, and I like to think I made hers, too. Simple pleasures make the journey worthwhile.

Putting the FUN into Funeral

I officiated at a baptism this past Sunday. It was not just a "sprinkling" of water, and the man being baptized was no baby. This was a grown man who had made some unwise choices and faced some difficult consequences. He had found God's forgiveness through Christ. He saw his baptism as a burial. It was a wet and wonderful experience!

He asked me to read this passage from the book of "Romans" in the New Testament:

"We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life...In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." (Romans 6:2-5, 11-12)

I like the way "The Message" paraphrases it:

"If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn't you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace— a new life in a new land! From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God."

I wish you could have seen this guy when he came up out of the water. Soaking wet, huge grin on his face, he thrusts both fists high above his head and let out a shout like most guys reserve for when their team scores the go-ahead points to win a ballgame as the final seconds tick off the clock--he was excited! And he let everybody know it.

So that's his story: "The old man is dead to sin, buried, raised as a new man to live a new life. Thank you, Jesus!" His wife says that in the past several weeks he's been a very different person, in a good way. Baptism as burial and resurrection to new life--now that's one way to put some fun into a funeral.

"And Jesus died for everyone; and those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again... Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, all things have become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:15-17)

Two Funerals, A Wedding and Strep Throat

Those have been the highlights of my week--in addition to all the stuff that has to be done in a "normal" week. The week began with funerals on Monday and Tuesday. One gentleman was 79, the other 82 years old. Both were military veterans and had served during World War 2. It was an honor to preside at their "send off".

One fellow had enlisted when was 16, lying about his age so he could go "fight the bad guys". He had served in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. He had received 3 Bronze Stars for heroic actions during combat and a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle. The 21-Gun Salute and playing of Taps sent chills over me--very moving, very sobering.

I think often of the sacrifices being made by families who have a loved-one serving oversees. The unspoken fears, the having to run the household single-handedly, children and spouses who may never see their parents or partners again...

I know it's tough on single parents day-to-day; but military families have the added pressure of having a loved one "in the line of fire". Pause and pray.

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So, woke up with a scratchy throat Tuesday, started loading up on vitamin C hoping I would fend off whatever was beginning. Each day got a little worse, then the fever.

I finally got enough free time Friday night to go to the local Doc-in-a-Box: no fever, no strep. I do have some kind of ear and throat infection, but not strep.

Load up on amoxicillin and keep going--a wedding on Saturday and three worship services on Sunday. I love my church family and our times of worshiping together, so hopefully the meds will kick in and I'll be feeling better by tomorrow...

The Party of God

(An excerpt from the book “The Secret Message of Jesus” by Brian D. McLaren published by the W Publishing Group, 2006)

Jesus often compared the kingdom of God to parties, feasts and banquets. Today we could say that God is inviting people their gang fights and come to a party, to leave their workaholism and rat race and come to a party, to leave their loneliness and isolation and join the party, to leave their exclusive parties (political ones, for example, which win elections by dividing electorates) and join one inclusive party of a different sort, to stop fighting or complaining or hating or competing and instead start partying and celebrating the goodness and love of God.

Just today I met some folks from a church in Minneapolis who demonstrate this metaphor in a dramatic and fun way. A group of them gather on a street corner in a poor part of town. They take overturned trash cans, old pots and pans, and an assortment of drums and other percussion instruments and start creating a loud, joyful rhythm. Soon a crowd gathers. It’s impossible not to smile when you hear the joyful music being made mostly from junk. Homeless folk and people from the neighborhood start dancing. Then the church members start distributing food—not in the somber style of a soup kitchen, but in the joyful atmosphere of a street party. They don’t have to say a word, really, they’re demonstrating their message—that the kingdom of God is like a street party to which everybody in invited.

I Knew it was Coming...

Most of you who are regular readers know that I’m participating (competing is too strong a word at this point) in a race walking half-marathon in March. What many people didn’t know is that it takes place on a Sunday morning…and that it is sponsored by a beer brewery. That may not seem like a big deal, but for at least one person in my community (not a member of my church, thank goodness) it is.

Actually, he is a lot like me. I grew up in a religiously ultra-conservative, very legalistic environment. Certain activities were “bad”, like drinking, smoking and dancing. The people who participated in these activities were “bad people” and we were taught that if we were involved in such practices, or affiliated with such people, we were “bad” (not in a good sense), too. Guilty by association.

We weren’t allowed to be in the swimming pool the same time the girls were—no “mixed swimming”—lest we lust. The guys were even taught a little chant to reinforce the lesson: “We don’t smoke, drink, dance or chew…and we don’t go with girls who do.” I’m dead serious. That’s the way I was raised. It has taken years to un-do some of the damage that kind of legalism, and judgmental attitudes that often accompany it, produces.

So, I knew it was coming. The backlash. When word got around (and it does so quickly where I live) that the pastor is playing hookie from church to be in a race…on a Sunday…that’s sponsored by a beer company—for at least one neighbor it is nothing short of scandalous.

Never mind that I’ll be “in church” later in the day. Never mind that I’m not drinking beer—although I may be tempted to throw back a few cold ones after the event is over :) Never mind that a good portion of the entry fee is going to support some worthwhile charities…

So I’m sitting here in my old WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) T-shirt trying to figure out how to respond to some of the judgmental condemnation I received recently from one who was less that thrilled about my extra-curricular activities. Currently I’m deciding to take the passive-aggressive route of blogging—the sit-down meeting will come later.

A few things I’ve learned:
¨ The people in the smoking section are not all “bad” people.
¨ Some of the “bad” people aren’t in bars, some are pillars in the church.
¨ Jesus would probably be hanging out where people gather, seeking to make new friends and influence their thinking in God’s direction.

So on a Sunday in March I’ll be hanging out with 10,000 of my closest friends, some of whom will no doubt have too much to drink before the day is over. Hopefully I’ll survive the physical test, make some new acquaintances and have a few conversations about spiritual matters. Later that day I’ll go to church and repent.

I’ll repent of not spending more time in the pool halls and the local bars making new friends and hearing their stories. I’ll repent of not spending more time sitting in the smoking section. I’ll repent of wasting so much time being religious rather than relevant. I’ll repent of wasting so much time not loving people the way Jesus does.