Get out of your bubble!

Sunday I was listening to Ken Hill speak. It was his first time, but he did great. There was one thought that he threw out... Get out of your bubble!
With that my mind immediately went to the Sprint(tm) commercial about getting out of your bubble of local friends so you can call anyone on any network. Well... it just hit me that so many times we get stuck in our church bubble or our circle of friends bubble. We need to get out of the bubble! It's pretty easy to stay comfortable. To be around people who act like the good people we like. Last Friday (January 8th, 2010) I was with Amy at her work party. There was some swearing and someone asked me if that was a problem since I was a pastor. I told them it wasn't a problem. I just didn't tell them why. Jesus spent a lot of time with people who didn't have their stuff together. They mean well and some actually want to do well, but they have a few walls that have to come down first. They need to know that you are not judging them. Honestly, I am not the Judge and will not be the One they stand before and give an account of to. So I can just be me and do what Jesus would do and say what Jesus would say.

Recent stuff I'm thinking about...

So I realize it's been quite some time since I posted. I added the Twitter posts but haven't kept up on that well. I haven't posted much because some of what was going through my mind was post worthy... and also not the forum to be placing my thoughts for everyone to see. But recently I had a few thoughts run through that may be worth thinking about.

We found out that we had some serious bee issues just outside the back door. I tried using some spray to kill them, but it didn't work. They were nesting in the ground. More than a few people suggested another remedy.
Well, I tried it. I asked one guy, "How much do I need to put in the hole?" He responded, "Until it's full!" I began pouring and then was told, "STOP!" I did.
The next morning (cause I did the deed at night while they were back in the nest) I saw them again. I had a couple thoughts immediately after that. The bees are like sin nesting in our lives. God knows what needs addressing in our lives and will help us to address the issue(s). It may seem that it's all gone, but in the moments when we see the issues flare up (like anger, jealousy, greed...) we come back to the application of the Blood of Jesus which wipes away the sin. We deal with the issue and move on. Confident in the work of Christ in our life.

Another thought came... as we went and picked up a love seat. We were led to believe the condition of the thing and color would be exactly what we were looking for. However it wasn't. We have had a sofa given to us when we first came to NY that WAS exactly what we were looking for. So my thought... when people enter our church(es) are they getting exactly what was described to them? Is it better?! My prayer is that who we are and WHOM we represent will be better than advertised. We aught to have quality services and be the quality people God calls us to be.

Last thought came from my pastor message on Sunday.

He was speaking about evangelism. I know that for some the word evangelism conjures really bad images... both for those who are "expected" to share the Good News of Jesus and those who are trying to be reached with that Good News.
My own experience has led me to be myself first. God doesn't ask us to be someone or do something that is out of our character. I've tried some of those things and they are not me, so I don't do them. But I do take time to share as God opens the doors. (here's where the pastor's message came in...) We never know who will respond to the message but there needs to be repeated opportunities to relay the Good News. Kind of like at bats in baseball. (My thoughts here...) In baseball not every at bat goes well. But with persistence "good hitters" continue to get better. Yea, I know that it's not up to us to "save" anyone. But we are God's Ambassadors as if Christ was making His appeal through us. The more times we share the more comfortable we are. There will be times when the Gospel "scores" and other times we just help move people around the bases, so to speak... to give them repeated opportunities to hear and see the Gospel presented.


SO there... Any thoughts? Reactions? Interactions?
Till next time...

Got a 'redneck' church?

With the onset of warmer weather comes the inevitable, "I forgot to put sun screen on and got a burn." Which left me with a red neck. As I was driving today I thought about the 'redneck' jokes that I've heard (maybe you know a few) and then it turned to the realities behind those jokes. And that led me to think about what a 'redneck' worship service and message might sound like. Then a semi profound thought hit me. How many people attend a 'redneck' church without realizing it? (DISCLAIMER: I'm generalizing this thought to quite a few churches I've been in, not necessarily the church I serve in right now!) I'm not just talking about a style of music like country or blue grass... but the question begs... How inwardly focused are people? Do that they think they are friendly folk in a friendly congregation when they won't approach a guest at the door to greet them (or want to tag them like deer to identify them)? How oblivious to their building and surroundings are they? Does it even phase them that people from the outside might be scared off from the deterioration they see (be it in the bathroom or the 70's paint color or the small lake that appears in the parking lot, etc.) Muisc is a whole other issue altogether!

So many questions need to be asked and reasked to drill down and get answers. In doing so it will allow them to answer the question, "Why we do what we do?", "Do we need to change?", and "Are we willing to do it?"!

I imagine in some parts of our country there are "redneck" churches complete with a guy playing spoons! But the question remains... Got a 'redneck' church?

The New Assistant Pastor of Worship!

It's official today! They announced at Niagara Alliance Church that I was coming and will start December 1st to be ready for our first Sunday December 7th!

In fact at the website: niagaraalliance.com in the staff section Pastor Mark has already included me. :~D

Thank you for your prayers as we have been discerning God's plan for our lives and the direction He wants us to go. Please pray for out church as we begin the necessary task of transforming our worship experience (especially the music) to help us target a new generation for Christ, with out alienating the present generations!

The message: God Love You: As You Are, Where You Are!

God Loves You: As you are, where you are

Rev. Lonnie Thoms

July 20, 2008

Speaking at: Worship on the Water & Cornerstone Community Church

I recently saw a sign on Niagara Falls Boulevard that read: “We finance your future, not your past.”

I found it quite intriguing… In a small way they are suggesting that what you did in the past isn’t being held against you. It’s not about past mistakes, it’s about the present and future.

The unfortunate thing as we get older is that we get more skeptical about whether a person can change. We hear rhetorical statements like: “Can a leopard change its spots?”; “Can a tiger change its stripes?”

Even people who “get religion” are looked at suspiciously. They just wait for them to mess up to point a finger at and say, “See, I told you it doesn’t work!”

What they are suggesting is that suddenly the person should have sprouted wings and a halo and begun to live like a saint, perfect in all aspects of their life. That’s a myth, and it isn’t what the bible teaches. The bible teaches that everyone has messed up, ( Romans 3:23 for all have sinned…) but that through Jesus Christ, God made a way for us to be forgiven and start again (Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ) . It tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

There is a definite work that is begun in the heart of the person. The bible tells us in Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” It’s going to take time.

I’m not an expert on restoring classic cars by any stretch of my imagination, but I know that it takes time and care to make that pile of metal into something you can take to the car show. One man sees a pile of junk and another sees a classic waiting to become what it was meant to be. There in lies the difference.

Someone here needs to know that God loves you as you are, where you are. He thinks you are valuable enough that He’s going to put time and energy into you. He wants to adopt you into His family (Ephesians 1:5 he decided beforehand (predestined) that we should be adopted as his children…).

Speaking of adoption, I read a touching story on Sunday July 13^th from MSNBC about Emma Grace.

AP story: EMMA’S GRACE:

You see, Emma was given up not once, but twice — once by her 23-year-old birth mother, a drug user who knew she could never care for the baby, and then by a 48-year-old adoptive mother who backed out when she learned of Emma's heart condition. When Daniel & Elizabeth Monroe heard about this little girl they knew that God had answered their prayers. Unphased by the heart condition they considered her worth taking home and keeping and loving. It’s truly a wonderful story. (Picture by: Wilfredo Lee / AP)

It illustrates a great truth about how God sees you and I. It doesn’t matter the condition of our heart or the cost to care for us, to adopt us into His family, God was willing to take care of everything. And in Jesus Christ he did. The bible says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Verse 17 continues “God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” God sent Jesus to redeem us, to buy us back. And anyone who believes in Jesus, not just about Jesus, but place their faith in Jesus, would have everlasting life.

The world believes in reinventing ourselves. The God of the Bible believes in reconstruction from the inside out. It’s not about outward tattoos, piercing, or hair products, it’s about the God of the universe living in us and changing us moment by moment, day by day, with His Holy Spirit. You can see the damage that unholy spirits cause, imagine the power of the Holy Spirit living and working in you and I!

Someone here just can’t. Can’t wrap their head and heart around the idea.

That’s because you’ve never met people like my friend Darrell, who was in bondage to drugs and alcohol when God got a hold of Him and changed his life. Darrell is a pastor today in Wisconsin because God can change the life of anyone.

You don’t know Hanson. A former card carrying Atheist. Yes, I said former. You see as much as she didn’t want to intellectually believe that Jesus Christ was real, she came into contact with people who have been changed by God, and ultimately she couldn’t run from God. I remember the day she burst into my office. She said, “Pastor, I have to talk with you NOW!” “I was minding my own business headed to class when all of a sudden I hear this, ‘Hanson do you believe in me?’. And before I could say, ‘no’ I said, “Yes, Jesus I believe in you.” “I couldn’t deny that Jesus was God at that moment!” Needless to say, she was pretty animated and the profanity was flying and I was telling myself, “WOW God got a hold of Hanson!” She was in a bit of a quandary because she was on her way to have lunch with three of the top women atheists in Iowa City, IA. She asked, “Do I go?” And I said, “YEA! You go and tell them what just happened.” So she did and came back to me telling me how venomous their attack was when she explained that she had come to believe in Jesus Christ. She’s got an amazing story.

God loves you, as you are, where you are.

It’s hard to believe that sometimes when you come into contact with people who call themselves Christians and yet stand in judgment on you. Giving you the look. Acting all self-righteous and all. I apologize for them and ask that you look in the bible at how God sees you and how Jesus interacted with others. Two quick real stories from the bible… they happen to involve two women. (I actually summarized the two passages and encouraged everyone to actually read it to see if I was telling the truth!)

John 4 (New International Version)

1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

17 "I have no husband," she replied.

Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

27Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something."

32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"

34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

John 8 (New International Version)

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

CLOSING for Worship on the Water:

You see God loves you, as you are, where you are. But because He loves you He doesn’t want to leave you in the sin and the mess but wants to clean you up inside out.

Someone is saying to themselves… “That’s nice, but I’ll come to God when I get my act together.” You don’t get cleaned up to take a bath do you?! That’s crazy! But that’s what we you suggest… I can pull myself together. Truth be told we can’t keep it together that long. Maybe 3 months before we get sucked back in. God knows we can’t do it. He gave the 10 commandments to show us that apart from Him we can’t live all that out either. Summed up (Luke 10:27) Jesus said those commandments meant to love God and others. And you know that it’s pretty difficult to forgive another person when they wrong you. That’s why we need God. Because His power working in us makes us what we aught to be, and deep down, what we really long to be.

Today is your day if you have never placed your faith in Jesus. You can make up all the excuses but the truth is your beef isn’t with me, it’s with God. He’s got the final say according to the Bible. This isn’t a condemnation, it’s an encouragement. God does love you, as you are, where you are. Today will you love Him back, as you are, where you are?

I’m not a high powered pressure salesman, so if you need some time I’ll understand. I have a business card that you can take to contact me later, or if you attend a church that really does believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, your pastor can have that conversation with you. I just encourage you to do it soon.

Thanks for listening. I pray that you never recover from today.

(Church Closing)

Our encouragement as a Church is to show the kindness and love of Christ to others. You’ve probably heard the saying, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Remember the kids? I tried this once before… wrap your arms around yourself. Now try to hug someone. It doesn’t work does it?! That’s because we have to open ourselves up. You have to embrace the other person. I’m not suggesting that we take on the other persons habits and hang ups… I’m saying that we have to walk with them a while to gain their trust, and to keep it, we have to continually come back to the biblical model of relationship which involves loving others unconditionally… no strings attached. There are people that rub us the wrong way, but even the bible tells us in 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

May the Lord make us a community of unity.

I was watching the movie 10,000 BC and toward the end a conversation started about the kind of people there are out there. Some have a circle only big enough for themselves. Others enlarge their circle to include a few more. Still others enlarge their circle so much that they can encompass more people.

What kind of church are we? What kind of church do we want to be? Who we impact will determine the size of circle that we are willing to create together. As a point of reference, God’s circle included everyone. God loves them as they are, where they are. Will we?

Didn't forget you...

I can't believe it was May20th on my last post! SORRY!
Well... we've been busy. Finally nailed the whole claim thing down on the prize which helped us to take a very needed vacation! My pictures are on Facebook if you are interested in seeing some.
We had a great time and to be honest I think I could move down there in a heart beat and be just fine. Of course Amy reminded me that we wouldn't have the $$ to live by the ocean... that popped my dream bubble... oh well...

We had a Pre-K graduation and today was Father's Day. I was asked to play just yesterday for Church leading the second service. I'm pretty sure that I won't do that again! I felt so unprepared. None the less, it wasn't bad for what it was. The best part of the day was having my boys sit and sing during the first service. They actually stayed in the seats... this was a drastic improvement from three weeks earlier when I spoke... they were up at the altar with their hot wheels cars... Today we got "cute" as they sat and hugged each other and Joel gave Caleb his big brother kisses. They participated in the Children's moment by helping to sing the "12 Spies Song"... 12 spies went to spy on Canaan 10 were bad and 2 were good... of course their version was a bit different... but the boys were great... Joel kept doing the 'looking' sign through the last time through. After talking about having courage the kids were headed down stairs. I asked Joel if he was ready to go and got the normal yes head nod. Then he turns back and says, "Daddy I need you to go with me." So with his hand in mine we head down to Sunday School where he lets go and races for the rocking horse on the springs... the teacher says they are ready and he walks right in and I walk right up to listen to the message. I keep thinking to myself about how many times I've been told to cherish these moments... the times where Joel turns and says he needs me. Or the few times now that Caleb says, "that's a daddy project!" I'm sure that in the next 16 years I'll have plenty of "Daddy Projects" to help complete. And I'll cherish those times.

god is not GREAT (WHAT?!?!?)

Life right now is kind of an 'out of body experience'... my body is Merchandising (books and magazines), but my mind and soul are thinking about God and His Kingdom and how I presently fit into that, and where I will fit in the future. (and if I have a future in pastoral ministry), but I digress.
Two weeks ago my company shipped a book to one of my stores with the title: "god is not GREAT" with the sub title, 'How religion is wrecking everything." Mind you, I don't have time to read a lot and so my impressions about this book are superficial, but I immediately thought: "Hey, why don't you just entitle it, 'I had a bad experience with religion and I really discourage people to believe there is a god, because if we just ignore Him, maybe He'll go away.' " Then I started to think a bit deeper about how the author spelled God with a lower case g... and how he sub titled it... religion is wrecking... I coupled that with a statement I read online from the new pope about how the Catholic church was the only "true church" because of "apostolic succession" and then I got to thinking... religious games are played in churches and denominations (include Protestant and Catholic) and in the name of god people have done some pretty nasty stuff... and, well, I suppose one could get the idea that all religions have contributed to 'wrecking everything'., and the god that they serve is not GREAT.
On the other hand, history has shown that people who have a deep relationship with Christ do make a difference, because the GREAT GOD they serve is mightily working and moving and driving them. I think about the stories of John Wesley, Charles Finney, and George Whitfield (that's my correction of John Whitehead), just to name a few. I think of the impact that the Gospel of Christ has had on communities to better them and create a climate of care and compassion. I believe it was DL Moody who heard from Henry Varley the famous quote, "The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him." Moody has been quoted as saying, "By God’s help, I aim to be that man."
Some times I forget how GREAT God is. I forget what He's done for others and me. I remember times in the past that I've prayed and seen God move. I don't know about you, but I'm in that place once again. I want to be a Living Expression of Christ, showing others our GREAT GOD. My prayer is that the testimony of others will be about me and the Church that I so love, "how God is making a difference in countries, communities and citizens like you and I".

Trusting in our GREAT GOD!
Lonnie

What a Weekend!

This weekend has been a blast! Friday after work we drove to Camp Hickory Hill near Warsaw, NY. I was privileged to speak to the Father and Son camp. But before speaking at the campfire that night we got a tour and a chance to use the climbing wall / tower. Actually my 4yr old and my 21 mo. old did the climbing. What a sight! All harnessed up my 4 yr old looked like an old pro as he worked his way half way before deciding that he'd had enough. My 'little guy' , Joel, held on to some of the footholds as they pulled him about 10 feet off the ground. The grin on his face was priceless. It was something that I'll never forget. We didn't have time to do much else before I was to speak, but we felt like we'd come back in a heart beat to do some of the other great activities they had there.
At the campfire we sang and saw some really funny skits about "what I learned from my dad". Then another song and I was up. I basically gave my testimony. My parents were divorced when I was 5... I didn't have a lot of time with my dad growing up... I still looked up to my dad... made a scrapbook with newspaper articles my mom had given me about my dad who was the Iowa State Discus champ in 1964 and 1965, as well as his wrestling abilities... (forgot to mention 1st team Football 1965 as a Tackle from Waverly, IA) I had written next to the "Athlete of the Week" heading, "and Father of the Year'... After moving and feeling like I didn't have any friends, at age 10 I responded to the invitation of a pastor, "Jesus will be your friend. He will never leave you or forsake you." I needed that friend and asked Jesus to lead me. At age 15 my youth group took the Sunday service and I gave my testimony of about Jesus coming to be my friend... I had people in my church asking me if I had ever thought of being a pastor. I hadn't. I thought the real money would be in computers and spent considerable time using the Apple II's in school. None the less, that summer at Family Camp in Birmingham, IA I responded to the invitation to come forward, " if you feel God is calling you to some form of full time ministry." So I knew exactly where I was headed... I shared some about my dad and how I had prayed for him about 16 years before I saw that he had gone back to Church. Since I got married my relationship with my dad has become what I'd hoped it would have been years ago. Now I have two little guys, Caleb 4 yrs and Joel 21mo.. We, Amy and I, were told that we couldn't have kids and 8 years after being married, God brought Caleb Noah into our lives. Both of my boys are very special. I have prayed for both of them so much... I've asked God, "Give them wisdom, and understanding, discernment to make right choices, and favor with Him and others, specifically the right people". Along with that prayer I ask that they might know God personally. I had an opportunity to share with Caleb the "Wordless Book". If you don't know what it is, it's a book with just colors. First black. It's the condition of our hearts... the Bible tells us that ALL have sinned, that everyone has blown it and come short of GOD's standard. I tried to communicate to Caleb Black means bad, like "ba, ba, ba, bad to the bone". He didn't quite get it... he says, "Black means bone"... But we continued on. Red represented the blood that Jesus gave to pay the penalty for our sin and allow us to be made right with God. White is the color of a new start, like a whiteboard that get's scribbled on and then completely cleaned to begin a new. The new start comes as we confess to God that we need what Jesus did for us to make us friends with God. The next color was gold. The bible tells us that Heaven's streets are gold and that we will be there with Jesus in heaven if we have asked Jesus to be our friend and savior. It's like the other side of the finish line... when the runner gets to the other side of the finish line there are cheers and congradulations, etc... that's what Heaven will be like for those that know Jesus, or should I say, who Jesus KNOWS! The last color was green. Which means we have to grow. Just as Caleb knows mommy and daddy he can come to know Jesus too. God wants to have a relationship with us if we will ask Him to.
My son Caleb hasn't immediately grasped all these concepts as I think he's a bit young, but the seed has been planted for him to know God. I know that others will come along and help water that seed, and down the road he'll follow Jesus...
Shortly after that I finished. I had many approach me and thank me for the message and tell me how it has affected them. I am truely thankful for the opportunity to have spoken there. I don't know the immediate impact, but I'm sure to find out. We never really know how much of an impact the things we say and do will make down the road.
Satuday started out a bit lazy... Caleb and I got hair cuts, I showered then did my walk through for work at Wegmans in Niagara Falls, then quickly to Burger King for some chicken fries for all of us and home to grab everyone and drive to a birthday party. The parties are a great time for the kids. Enough said.
Sunday we got up and went to church at Cornerstone Community in Buffalo, NY and then drove downtown to the Taste of Buffalo. The food was terrific, the crowds, like a raging sea, the music, off the charts. My oldest son, Caleb, was crying as we decided to leave, he had a great time. But as all things must come to an end, we left to crash at home and try to recover for the week ahead.
Now to bed to start the hamster wheel again this week.
What's ahead for me besides work?
Next Sunday July, 15th, I lead music and speak at "Worship on the Water" at Long's Homestead in Tonawanda.... 8:45am. The service is an "ecumenical" one in which different churches host different weeks. I'll be doing this again on August 19th with the Tonawanda Free Methodist Church and their worship band.
In between I'll be speaking July 22 and 29th at my church, Cornerstone Community Church at the corner of Capen Blvd and Kenmore Ave.. just a block from Route 5 and the UB south campus.

Peace to you all!