Christmas Morning!

Christmas has the ability to bring lots of thoughts to mind and this seems like as good a place as any to record some of this year's thoughts. One that has haunted me a little the last few days is why I did not get called to play at Saddleback Church? I'm not sure but I think I have played at one or more Christmas Eve services there for quite a few years. I have great memories of the candlelight service watching the room go from relative darkness to a blazing glow from the thousands of personal candles. This year, we only worshipped at Trinity (which is also a change from the last few years of visiting Mariners on Christmas Eve eve) and the candle lighting experience was not as moving viewed from the pews. I guess my relationship with Saddleback is slipping away (has slipped away) which makes me very sad. I have many good friends there and I miss them.

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Our pastor has been preaching a series based on Dickens "A Christmas Carol" so we watched the George C. Scott version on the 23rd. It was well worth watching, especially in light of the sermon series. What struck me in the end were the three steps Scrooge spelled out at his nephew's home on Christmas morning.

• Confession (Christmas Past) - He faced his error of commission and asked for forgiveness. This is certainly the first step in repentance. How good am I at facing my mistakes? How good am I at asking for forgiveness?
• Correction (Christmas Present) - He faced an error of omission and corrected it. He officially met his nephew's wife and they became personally acquainted for the very first time. How willing am I to step out and face my fears, take steps I've failed to take in the past, do things I've neglected to do, make acquaintances and burst bubbles of stereotype and prejudice?
• Commission (Christmas Future) - He set out on a new life course by accepting the invitation to join them for dinner. Like commissioning a group of people for a trip or venture or some special service, he set out in a new direction, one that would forever change his life and the lives of many people around him. How willing am I do turn and go a new direction? I pilot a HUGE ship. How easy is it to change the course of this ship? How supportive will the crew and passengers be? Does their support matter? In light of my Personal Mission Statement (To be a wise and faithful steward), should I even consider a change of direction?

Certainly this story and the recent sermon series has given me much to think about. As I move into 2008 I pray that God will give me a fresh gift if faith, and eyes to see His hand of providence moving in the glove of the history of my life.

It's Been a Long Time!!!

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted something here. It's not like I've been doing nothing. My last post was on my birthday 2 years ago. Since then, my daughter has made me a grandpa twice, my son has gotten married, and my youngest daughter has just about finished college. My wife and I have moved into our fourth decade of marriage (32 years this January) and I've been playing bass quite a lot, growing in knowledge, wisdom, insight and understanding.

I bumped into a friend from church last Friday and he mentioned that he enjoyed reading my blog. I asked him if he meant my "family" blog or my "bass" blog. He answered "both"! I was quite surprised. "How did you find my blog" I asked in an embarrassed tone. He explained how he had been looking for my wife's web site in search of a recipe and stumbled onto mine. Wow!

So...here I am with a new post. I've actually been writing 1-2 pages daily in my journal but haven't taken the time to post any of that. Maybe now that I know I have at least one reader, I'll be more faithful.

Today's journaling centered around words and actions. I was reminded of the verse "Let us not love with words and tongue but with actions and in truth"(1Jn 3:18). This verse came to mind from today's reading in Matt 21 where the man's son said he won't work in the vineyard but changed his mind and went. Martha & I were talking last night about how easily we accept the words that say Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and that the first shall be last and the last first, and all the other nice phrases that tell us that if anyone wants to be great he must be a servant, but when it comes down to actions, we resent it when people treat us like servants. We say the words that we want to be servants but we resist the actions and the posture of a servant. How many times have I thought to myself in the last few weeks, "Who does he think he's talking to?" In Matt 21, Jesus tells the chief priests and the elders that "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it." He also tells us to "produce fruit in keeping with repentance". So, when my actions don't match my words, which is more important? To say "I'll be a hearer of the word" and then don't do what it says, or to say "I don't like what this says" but then repent and do it?

My prayer for this Holiday season is that I will "produce fruit in keeping with repentance" and that when someone treats me like a servant, I will see it as an opportunity to put some flesh on words that are easy to say but not always easy to do.