Church

Good News, Bad News, Good News

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Good News #1:  Goal Met

http://myevent.com/Runningforstorytellers

The link above is to a fundraising page created in support of a church in Detroit.  As you read the cover page on this site, you’ll read they’ve been in a campaign to raise $20,000 by Memorial Day.  Good News: they’ve reached their goal…two weeks ahead of schedule.  This was phase one of a year-end goal to raise $50,000.

grastonBad News #1:  Sidelined

My right calf has been giving me fits for almost two months.  I finally saw a doctor yesterday and running the race this Sunday is out of the question.  Nothing longterm, just have to work out some scar tissue through therapy (follow this link about graston technique) and rebuild.  But, that means the dollars donated for this cause and this race seem unresolved.  Nothing more frustrating to me than not being able to run a race that is paid and trained for with a goal of helping others attached.

Good News #2:  Transferable

It hit me that through the Race 13.1 series, they might have a transfer policy in place to allow you to move your registration from one race to another.  Sure enough, checked the website, and that was an option.  So Good News: I can train for another race this year without losing the registration, and not only should I be able to honor the intent of the funds already raised, now we can further assist Storytellers as they move into their next fundraising phase by raising more funds before my rescheduled race.  

Stay tuned to find out the rescheduling and how you can support this next phase for Storytellers.

 

Recovering Demanders

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“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭100:1-5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This Psalm came to mind when I read this sentence in Breakfast with Bonhoeffer: “Fellowship can be entered when participants enter not as demanders but as thankful recipients.”

Many churchgoing people are recovering demanders. Some know it; others are still figuring it out. Were they to write a Psalm about how to enter church, it may quip, “I’ll enter so long as it suits me.” They may not say it, but they enter the court with expectations, maybe even unspoken demands.

Psalm 100 gives it’s own demands that can help recovering demanders:

  • Make a joyful noise – unashamedly
  • Serve with gladness – service has a way of producing thankfulness and squelching demanding
  • Come with singing – indicates coming with a participatory spirit rather than a sit-and-watch posture
  • Know the Lord is God – the focus is not on any human leader or human preferences
  • Enter with thanksgiving...Give thanks to Him – indicates entering already in a thankful spirit
  • Bless His name – this mindset puts the follower/the created/the child in the right position under their Leader/their Creator/their Father

Psalm 100 establishes a case plan for recovering demanders.

God is Much Smarter than I am

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This is a good thing to say, to admit, and to do it often.

The link above is to a recording of the song the FBCBradenton choir did this morning in church. And here’s why I say God is smarter than I am.

This song, Mercy Tree, was slated to be done before or on Easter. We weren’t ready at that point, so we rescheduled it for today. In my head, it seemed like it could come across as a little too late, repetitive, whatever. And even at rehearsal Wednesday night, I still wasn’t sure we should do it. But God showed up this morning. 

Not only did He get the glory through this song, but unbeknownst to me, it spoke to our guest speaker and went right along with his message.

So thank you, God. You are more than amazing. Always on time. Infinitely smarter.