Weekend Highlights and Lowlights

It's been a goofy weekend-- but one where I have seen God work.

Highlights--

• Audrey and Brian's wedding-- beautiful, fun, awesome. Lesson: Weddings for neat couples are always fun. And they had good hors d'oeuvres at the reception too!
• Great worship and praise in all three services. Lesson: We have talented, godly people at Central!
• Red Wings win. Red Wings Win. Lesson: I miss Hockeytown this time of year.

Lowlights--

• Spending time in the hospital during a friend's health crisis (spending time with friends was not a the lowlight... seeing our friend's struggle with the issues of life wasn't great... but even in that-- God was a work and I am convinced that in the end, God will receive the Glory!!!) Lesson: God is always in control!
• Rain and Cold at Nazarene Night at Worlds of Fun. Lesson: If its cold and raining and you wear long undies to World's of Fun-- you will still get cold and wet.
• Thinking Ben had baseball practice-- but he didn't. Lesson: Don't sweat the things you can't control.
• Tigers losing two out three, and the Pistons losing its opening game to the 76ers. Lesson: I miss Hockeytown this time of year.

This Week I...

What did you do this week? This week, I did several things.

This week, I …. Preached three times. I don’t always like the way a sermon turns out or the way I preached on a certain passage of Scripture. Occasionally I leave church thinking, “Wow, I should have done so much better.” But I like that God can take what is said, even when it is far less than perfect, and use it for his glory anyway. (Karla pointed out that last Sunday I said: “The fact of the matter is” three times during the course of the sermon. Hmmm? I told her, “Well, the fact of the matter is I wasn’t counting!” She said, “I was.”) In spite of using too many clichés, on Sunday lots (I mean LOTS) of people raised their hands or came to the altar indicating a need for God to work in some area of their life. Praise the Lord for his working!

This week, I …. Ate dinner with friends. I don’t like eating alone, but I love eating, talking, joking around a dinner table. Breaking bread (or in my case, a calzone at Old Chicago! Yum!) with friends is a good thing.

This week, I …. Paid my taxes. I don’t like paying taxes. Writing a check to Uncle Sam is one of my least favorite activities. But I like having clean water and safe streets and a stable government and all the things paying my taxes provides. And this summer good ol’ Uncle Sam will be sending out checks to us, so I guess that’s good too.

This week, I …. Attended the District Credential’s Board Meeting. I don’t like going to the Credential’s Board Meeting and taking a whole day out of my schedule to meet with ministers-in-training. But I like that we have a system that monitors and oversees the education and development of our soon-to-be ministers.

This week, I …. Received about a gazillion e-mails about Oprah and her new agey blah, blah, blah. (Okay maybe I haven’t received a gazillion, but I’ve gotten a lot.) I don’t like New Age blah, blah, blah whether it comes from Oprah or Oh My Goodness anybody else. But I like that people have recognized the blah, blah, blah for what it is.

This week, I …. Talked to a friend who is about to face a major health crisis. I don’t like that we live in a world where there is sin, sickness and tough things happen in life, but I like that we serve the One that said: “Take Heart, I have overcome the world!”

This week, I …. Led our Board Meeting. I don’t always like Board Meetings. There’s a reason I might occasionally (on purpose?) misspell it as “bored meeting.” But this week, we talked a lot about reaching our community and what we are doing and how we can do it better. It was a very good discussion among our leaders. We have a good church board.

This week, I … participated in our pastoral staff book review. Pastor Padraic picked the book this time: The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the missional church by Alan Hirsch. It got us a ll talking and thinking about how we are doing ministry. I liked that. We have a great pastoral staff at Central… I like that too.

This week, I …. Recommended a former Centralite, former seminarian to a District Superintendant. I don’t like those conversations if I really don’t think the candidate is qualified, but I really like it when I know they will do a great job and build the Kingdom. This guy is the latter. He’s going to make a huge difference for God!

This week, I …. Worked on my lawn mower. I changed the oil and the blade. It’s ready to go. I don’t like mowing much. But I like that it’s getting warmer and the snow is gone and finally oh so finally maybe spring is here.

This week, I …. Hung out in a couple of hospitals. Going to hospitals isn’t always fun, staying in one is even worse. But I like knowing that the Great Physician is always on call. And we really can call out to God and God really does hear and answers prayers.

This week, I …. Shopped at my neighbor’s semi-annual Gear Garage Sale. I normally don’t like garage sales, but I like this one. New Shirts (with a teeny rip in the back) for a buck. Yippee! There were so many other Centralites there—I thought maybe we should take an offering and consider my neighbor’s garage and off-site venue for another worship service.

This week, I …. Waited for our out-of-town company to arrive at our house. I don’t like that the Queen of Clean (read: Karla) is turning my day off into a mowing, cleaning, scrubbing, doing a million “honey-do” jobs because “Rob we need everything perfect for our guests.” But I do like friends coming to visit.

This week, I … Spent some good time with the Lord, but I wish there had been more time. I don’t like it when I don’t make time or take the time for God, and I completely understand what good ol’ William Wilberforce was getting at when he said, “I must secure more time for private devotions. I have been living far too public for me. The shortening of devotions starves the soul, it grows lean and faint. I have been keeping too late hours.”

This week, I … Wrote an e-mail to the church and I didn’t know what to write, so I wrote about some of my likes and dislikes of what happened during the week. I hope that was OK.

Central Students

I have a couple of humans living in my house that are different from me. They don’t have a third eye ball or an extra limb growing from their shoulder. It’s worse. They were born sixteen and thirteen years ago respectively-- which clearly means they are (hold on to your hat): Teenagers.
Teenagers are definitely different from me. In their pre-teenager days, my boys used to think that I was the cat’s meow, now they think I am old mainly because I use clichés like… the cat’s meow. They used to wear the clothes I chose for them (Ben was so cute in his little giraffe sweater), and they got their hair cut when I said it was time to head to the barber (Alex was so cute in his “bowl” cut). Today, they would rather be trampled by a herd of giraffe than wear a sweater with a crocheted giraffe on the front and “bowl haircuts” are not among the approved styles at Great Clips. We don’t like the same music (My music taste is refined and dignified; their music is too loud, too unintelligible, and just plain too noisy. Hmmm that’s what my mom said about my music back in the day… weird!). We don’t like the same TV shows. We don’t visit the same websites. In some ways we speak in different languages. For instance, if I say the shoes I am trying on at Wal-Mart are “tight” that means I need to try on another, slightly bigger pair of shoes. If Alex says the shoes in the window of Foot Locker are “tight,” that means they are a very fine pair of shoes and well worth the $125 price tag. If Ben and I are talking about “gauges” I am more than likely referring to the oil level indicator or RPM recorder on my car’s dashboard, while Ben is probably speaking of someone’s ears. We have different tastes and different styles and use different words in conversation.

Having said all that… I am still glad these boys are my sons. I’m proud of them. I love them more than you will ever know.

I’ve been around some other teens lately. On Monday, I had a basement full of the creatures known as Teenager. They were hanging out and cheering for the Jayhawks. It was a fun night as they allowed this old guy to join them for the Rock Chalk Jayhawk victory. All were polite. All ate lots of chips and salsa. All were having fun and yelling loud (especially when “Super Mario” sank that three pointer at the end of regulation), and when the last student left I thought, “We have some good teens at Central.”

On Sunday Night, I was in the Student Center as our teens led in the worship. We had students leading the worship songs, students playing the instruments, students praying, students reading scripture, students receiving the offering, and students singing specials (By the way, the song the Jessica Gibbons sang on Sunday night, she wrote! Wow! What a talented young lady.). When the service was all said and done, I thought, “We have some good teens at Central.”

A couple of weeks ago, I was in El Salvador with 20 of our students. Here’s what I observed: the students worked hard, rarely complained, displayed good attitudes, reached out to the people we were ministering with, and in all ways showed the love of Christ. When we returned I thought, “We have some good teens at Central.”

I’m encouraged! I don’t know if you’ve heard but “we have some good teens at Central!” These students are not “the church of tomorrow,” they are the church of today! They are talented, gifted, and already doing ministry.

If you are my age or older it’s easy to read about the “troubled youth in America” or watch a news story about some messed up kids and conclude that all students are the same. Not true. There are plenty of God-loving, God-pleasing, God-serving youth. You’ll see them sitting in the first few rows in church on Sunday, and for some of us they are sleeping in the bedroom down the hall.

Are our teens perfect? Nope (but, ahem… look in the mirror and that guy or gal staring back at you isn’t perfect either). Is it easy to be a teenager these days? Nope again. (Have you been in a middle school or high school lately?) Those two facts should cause us to pray for our students, and encourage them, and love them and when you have the opportunity hang out with them—you just might learn something. And while you’re at it—how about praying for Youth Pastor Cory and all our youth sponsors who are investing their lives in our students?! And if you do, the teens and I would agree that getting more people praying, loving, encouraging and standing with them in the situations of life would be very “Tight.” (And as we’ve already learned…that would be a very good thing!)

Go Team Go?

I'm a sports fan. And I really get it that people are excited about KU winning a championship and the Royal's doing so well and the Wizards... (Does anyone care about soccer? I didn't think so.) But you get the idea, KC is rocking: "Yea our teams are doing great!"

We talk about it with our friends. We talk to strangers about it. It's great news: "Yea! Our teams are doing great." We are passionate about our teams.

Are we equally passionate about our Lord? I am amazed at people who say: "I could never talk to strangers about my faith, that's just not my "gift" but these same folks seem to have no problem talking to strangers about KU. Just where are our priorities?

This is in no way a sports bashing blog... you know I love my sports, but c'mon our commitment to Christ and his calling us to make "more and better disciples" trumps anything that happens on a field or court.

This weekend at Central

What I liked about Sunday at Central...
1) I liked the video in the changed series... thanks Danial Hawkins for producing it and thanks to Jim Gorman for starring in it. (Hopefully we will get these on the Web site soon).
2) I liked the children's skit in both services... not only did they do a good job-- but it really fit in with the sermon. Super!
3) I like the Favorite Teacher Brunch... we had several "Favorite Teachers" here-- making this annual event a big success!
4) I like the Youth led service in the PM. We have some talented teens!
5) I liked seeing the success of our Junior Quizzing program in the PM too--- we have some smart kids!

What I didn't like about Sunday at Central...
Several individuals left a broom by my office-- I think in reference to the Royal's sweeping wins against my beloved Tigers. Wow... kick a guy when he's down!

Boo Hoo

The Royals beat the Tigers 5-4. Sniff. Sniff.
Oh well, one down and 161 to go!

Go Tigers!

More Family Pictures from El Salvador

Good Friday in El Salvador

Good Friday in El Salvador is not like Good Friday in the States. Here in America, it seems that many people are oblivious to the day of Good Friday. Stores are open. Mail is delivered. Many churches have services, and a few people even show up. But for the non-religious, Good Friday is a lot like Flag Day. Where the response might be, “Huh… it’s Good Friday? Oh. OK. Zzzzzzz.” The implication is that it’s OK if you want to remember Good Friday, but most folks will go about their day without much notice or concern or care that it’s Good Friday.

Not so in El Salvador. There is no mistaking it’s Good Friday there. Shops, schools, and government offices are all shut down. And many of the streets are transformed into an art gallery of sorts. Individuals and groups make beautiful “rugs” out of sawdust (don’t think of these creations as a bathroom throw rug but rather they are more like giant colorful murals where the street pavement becomes the canvas) on which later in the day processionals of people will walk or even crawl over them as an act of penitence for their sins of the past year. As people are working on their murals and others are watching, street vendors and people are milling around and enjoying the festivities of the day. Since we left before Easter, I have no way of knowing, but I was told that the emphasis on Good Friday is way bigger than it is for Easter.

For everybody in the country, religious and non religious alike, knows that it is Good Friday.
Here most people know it is Easter. They may not remember Good Friday, but they know it’s Easter Sunday. Prior to Easter, every retail store had huge displays of candy and bunnies and spring time colors. Churches sent out invitations and placed banners in their lawn. On the day itself, at least some stores are shut down. (Since we had been gone the previous nine days, there was no milk in our house. On Easter afternoon, I made a quick run to Price Chopper for milk and discovered that the store was closed. Good for Price Chopper. Bad for my Cocoa Krispies.) Since it’s a Sunday there is no mail delivery, no school and no government offices open. And even the TV networks might show religious movie classics like Ben Hur or The Ten Commandments or have some religious type programming. One way or another, most folks even if not religious know that it is Easter.

So here’s my question: Which is worse: To make a big deal that it’s Good Friday but forget about Easter, or make a big deal that it’s Easter but on Monday go on as if Easter never occurred?

We are a few days past Easter now. The candy is probably gone. The Easter baskets put away for another year. And besides a few strands of that fake plastic grass hanging around on the living room carpet, most outward signs of Easter are gone. School and jobs and life have gotten back to normal. So my real concern is: Is the wonder of Easter still in your heart? Have you packed the Easter Joy away with the baskets, bonnets and Easter bunny knick knacks? Or is the power of the Resurrection still making an impact on your life? Are you still rejoicing that we “serve a Risen Savior who’s in the world today”? Isn’t that what matters?

Long after the last Peep is eaten and the last jelly bean is gone—I hope that the power of the Resurrection is still making a life altering impact in you.

Back Home

Home Sweet home. Or should I write... church sweet church. Maybe both. It is good to be home. Good to be at Central for Easter Services. Good to see so many people praising the Lord. I snuck into the Spanish Service this morning-- that was good too.

Here was a switch... my luggage made it home with me!

I loved El Salvador... loved all that we were able to accomplish. But it is good to be home!

I am missing Holy Week at Central

I am going to miss our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services. Tonight we will be back at the Santa Techla church for a good-by service with our brothers and sisters from here. Tomorrow we will expereince Good Friday Central American Style. I think it will be a very interesting day.

See you Easter Sunday!

From El Salvador with Love

I am writing from beautiful, sunny, warm, El Salvador. As we have traveled from the El Alamo International Hotel (to call our accommodations a “resort” would be a stretch… think of it not as a Motel Six, it is more like a Motel One and a half), I have seen the following reminders of home: a McDonald’s, Burger King, Little Caesars, lots of Pizza Huts, Subway, Mister Donut, KFC, Wendy’s and Bennigan’s. In other words, you could get high cholesterol just as quick in Central America as you can in the Center of America. Fast food joints notwithstanding, there are plenty of differences between El Salvador and Lenexa Kansas. Dorothy was right; we are not in Kansas anymore.

Still, this past week the 52 folks from Central have involved ourselves in construction, VBS kid’s clubs, painting a school, visiting an AIDS orphanage, holding medical clinics and showing the Jesus film. We usually leave the hotel by 8:30 AM and don’t return until 8:30 PM. They’ve been long, fun, tiring, exciting days.

On Sunday night, before any of our “real” work began, we had a time together with the whole team and I challenged the group. I told the team that we could come down here and buy a few trinkets in a souvenir shop like any other tourist, take a few pictures of palm trees and smiling children and go home unchanged. Or we could allow God to move us. Change us. Transform us.

I think he has been doing that.

Today, I spent the morning on the construction site and then went up an active volcano to the sight of our VBS and Medical clinic. I hadn’t been out of the van for a minute when my son Ben—who had been at the site all morning-- came running up to me. It was obvious he was excited.
“Dad, dad… guess what happened this morning?”
“I don’t know, Ben what happened?”
Usually when Ben displays this kind of excitement something goofy has happened like a bird dropping its, well droppings on his mother (that hadn’t happened…. yet. A little later in the day, a bird with the precision of a Patriot Missile would zoom in on my dear sweet wife’s head. An event, by the way, that would cause a couple of El Salvador boys to laugh hysterically for a long, long time.)

Ben proceeded to tell me that while he was out that morning inviting children to the VBS, he had an opportunity to present the “evangicube” to a man and lead him to Christ. I know the Bible says that all of heaven rejoices when one lost sheep comes home. But, I have to tell you if heaven was half as excited as Ben then they had quite a party over Javier coming to know Jesus! I hope it’s the first of many such opportunities in his life.

It’s been a great week… we have just a couple more days and then we’ll be heading for home.

From El Salvador

I am writing from El Salvador-- where God has already been at work! If you haven't yet-- check out the church website: http://www.kccentral.org/ and then click on the El Salvador Blog Button. Different people from team are writing each day. And there are pictures too! All in all--it has been pretty cool!

Yesterday, was our first work day. Construction, VBS, a Medical Clinic (that saw I think 108 patients), and a showing of the Jesus film. We left at 8 AM and got back around 8:30 PM it was a long, wonderful day!

Today, I stayed behind to work on my Easter Message-- I'll see you on Sunday.

Happy Anniversary

Twenty Years ago today the most beautiful woman in the world walk down the aisle of the Westland Church of the Nazarene and said that she would love me always... for better or worse. Karla has kept her promise for these twenty years, and I have kept mine to her. I love her more today than ever!

It's been a wonderful ride... and now we will head off to El Salvador with our boys and fifty of our closest friends.

EL Salvador Blog

Hey the Mission Team to El Salvador has a Blog! Click on our Website: www.kccentral.org and then click the El Salvador Blog

A Praying Church Board!

Last night's Church Board Meeting... was my kind of meeting. After getting some of the necessities out of the way (treasurer's report, reviewing the past meetings minutes, etc.), we got down to the most important work of the church: prayer! We prayed.

The board and pastors broke into five separate groups and covered all the areas of the church. We were in the powerhouse, the student center, the worship wing and the adult fellowship area. We were in the church offices, nurseries, food pantry, library and fellowship hall. And finally we all gathered in the Sanctuary.

Every pew was prayed over, every person that will be sitting in those pews in the next couple of weeks was prayed for too.

If God is going to work at Central it will only happen as we all pray! Your Church Board is leading the way!

Busy, busy, busy

What a busy weekend at Central. All five services (2 English services on Sunday morning, one at night, a Spanish service on Sunday morning and an Arabic service on Saturday night) were great! Wow the Lord was with us!!!

We also had a Game Night gathering on Friday Night-- lots of fellowship happening. That's always a good thing. An Executive Committee meeting on Saturday Morning-- we have such a great leadership team. We had a meeting to explore revamping our Men's Ministries on Sunday afternoon--(25 men and Pastor Molly were there.... what a great group!), a meeting to get our Mission team ready for the VBS's that we'll be running in El Salvador, and a gathering to pack bags for El Salvador.

God is doing great things at Central!

Two and a Half Weeks

A good vacation lasts about two and a half weeks.

I wish a tank of gas lasted for two and a half weeks.

Half a month is just shy of two and a half weeks.

Seventeen days is two and a half weeks.

If you walked 25 miles a day, in two and a half weeks you’d be in Chicago.

To get over a cold takes about two and a half weeks.

Usually the World Series takes about two and a half weeks to complete. (Sorry Royals fans this is the Tigers year to experience those two and a half fun filled weeks!!!)

To get a letter via “snail mail” from Lenexa, Kansas to missionary Rod Green in Amman, Jordan would take two and a half weeks.

To paint my house might take two and a half weeks. (It would take me a week and half to paint it, and it would take a week for a real painter to repaint it right.)

Darrel and June and Hannah equal two and a half Weeks. (Actually that’s three Weeks-- the whole family equals six Weeks! For you non-Centralites, the Weeks family is one of Central’s finest. June is our church librarian and does a great job. Have you checked out the library lately?)

The difference between a good haircut and a bad one is about two and a half weeks.

I wonder if the Jayhawks will still be playing in two and a half weeks. (Anyone remember Bucknell?)

In a dog’s life, two and a half weeks is like seventeen and a half people weeks. Woof. Woof.

For me to run a marathon, it would take two and a half weeks (and two and a half gallons of Ben Gay).

Two and one half weeks. In just two and a half weeks, God could completely and totally transform our world.

Look at what is happening in the next two and a half weeks…

• 52 Centralites will be in El Salvador by the end of next week. 52 people constructing buildings, leading VBS’s, organizing dental clinics, participating in medical clinics, painting and cleaning and worshipping and evangelizing and praying. 52 people trying to do as Jesus commanded to “go into all the world….”
• Our Spanish Service will have it’s official launch on Easter (although it actually began “unofficially” last Sunday)
• A meeting to refocus and retool and revitalize our Men’s Ministry is this Sunday at 5 PM. all men interested in being a part of this are welcome to attend!
• Our Arabic Service continues after it also had a good start last weekend.
• Holy Week Services are one of the highlights of the year. I am excited about the Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Services that are being planned. Each will be different. Each will be meaningful!
• Easter Sunday Services will be AWESOME! Have you invited someone yet? I heard of a survey that said 82% of unchurched people say they will come to church if a person they know invites them. 82%! That means your neighbors and co-workers and fellow students will more than likely attend an Easter service if you simply take the time and care enough to invite them. Will you invite them?

Just imagine—dream a little—think and pray how God can use all of these events for his glory and you’ll begin to feel the excitement that I do about the next two and a half weeks!

So Central Nazarene, please know it is vital, imperative, necessary, crucial, yes absolutely essential that all people who love the Lord and love Central are praying. The next couple of weeks could be the most important weeks in someone’s life… so pray! Pray like you’ve never prayed before. Pray that God will work. Pray that lives will be changed. Pray that God will give you the courage to invite a friend or neighbor to Easter Services. Pray that these next two and a half weeks will be some of the best weeks our church has ever experienced!

A Historic Weekend at Central

What a weekend at Central. Historic! We had five services... count them five. All were terrific!

On Saturday Night we had our first Arabic service. 17 people gathered. We ate (some ethnic food, some pizza), we sang and praised the Lord, prayed and heard a wonderful sermon. It was awesome!

Sunday Morning, we had our regular two morning services. God was with us as we continued in our Lent Sermon Series, "Stories from the Upper Room." Again everything was good!

At 11:00 in the student center was our first Spanish Service. Pastor Jaime preached their was good music and praise. Over thirty people were worshipping. This is a service that we had been planning and praying about for about eight months and the day finally came! Praise the Lord.

And service #5, was our Sunday @ Six Service. It was a wonderful night of praise and testimony and digging into God's word!

What a great weekend!

Snow on Sunday... what a surprise!

Of course, it was Sunday and there was snow. It happens every weekend. Still we had a great day at Central. Both morning and night services were good, good, good. God was with us!

We had a good chili cook-off too. I think I heard that Pastor Molly's was the "Most Unique Chili" and Alice Smith's was the "Most Like Mama's."

It was great to pray with the people who will be participating in the Spanish Service. We are expecting great things as this service begins this Sunday at 11 AM in the Student Center.

No Soup for you!

I love Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup. Even the name sounds fun, doesn’t it? It’s “Fiesta” Chili Beef soup. How many other soups have a celebration right in their name? You don’t eat “Yippee Yahoo” Beef Barley or “Zippity Doo Dah” Chicken Noodle. But with Campbell’s Condensed Chili Beef there’s a fiesta in every can!

I have always loved Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup. I think my mother put Fiesta Chili Beef Soup in my bottle as an infant. Sometimes, my dear sweet mother would place a Ball Park Frank or two into the soup and thereby creating an all-in-one yummy meal. Hot dogs and chili, what a treat! I remember making this soup in a “hot pot” in my dorm room while in college, even though there were rules about cooking in our rooms. I thought Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup was worth being labeled a rebellious, rule breaker, and worth any fine the Resident Assistants might levy on me if they discovered me and my “hot-pot.” (Typically if a college student is fined for having “hot pot,” it does not involve a cooking apparatus, as it did for me). Even after getting married, when Karla would go away for the weekend, she knew that the pantry could be without fruits and vegetables, but it absolutely needed to include at least one can of Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup. Yes, I love that soup.

Or I should have written: I “loved” it. After weeks of not seeing it on the super market shelves, I was coming to the realization that something was seriously wrong. Week after week, I would run into the grocery store hoping, praying that Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup would be on the shelf, and weekly I was disappointed as I discovered that (to quote the “Soup Nazi” from the old Seinfeld show) there was “No soup for me.” It was not at HyVee, Dillions, Price Chopper, Wal-Mart or Hen House. It was not in any store.

What happened to my beloved Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup? Were the Campbell’s Soup Chefs on strike? Was there a drought in some third-world country making it impossible to produce beans or beef or some other vital ingredient in my Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup? I had to know: Where’s my soup? So this week I wrote to the Campbell’s Soup Company. I politely asked them where my soup was. I told them I had been eating it for years and years (I did not tell them about my mama putting it into my baby bottle.). I reminded them I had been a loyal customer. I told them how I could not find my tasty soup in any store throughout the Kansas City metro area.

Here was their reply:

Mr. Rob Prince, we received your message and appreciate your taking the time to contact Campbell Soup Company to inquire about our Campbell's Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup. Unfortunately, this product is not currently available.
Tastes and preferences constantly change and there is only so much space on a supermarket shelf. Periodically, we look at the sales for our various products and are forced to make the difficult decision as to which products stay and which must be replaced.
Inquiries such as yours remind us that sales figures aren't the only measure of a product's value. Perhaps one day Campbell's Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup will make its way back to your grocer's shelf.

Nooooooooo! This was the worst possible news!

“Not currently available…?”
“Forced to make difficult decisions…?”
“Periodically, we look at the sales….?”

Ah ha! Corporate greed has taken away my dearly loved Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef! First the M & M Candy Company stopped making Red M & M’s and now this! Oh sure there may be more Chicken Noodle Lovers and Tomato Soup lovers, but do the powers-that-be in the hallowed kitchens of Campbell’s Soup really expect me to believe that there are more people that like Split Pea Soup or Cream of Asparagus Soup than Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup? “Only so much space on a supermarket shelf?” Are you kidding me? The grocers seem to have space for lima beans and pig’s feet and other gross things, surely the good folks at Price Chopper can make room for my tasty Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup! (And don’t even get me started on how super markets seem to have plenty of space for Pabst Blue Ribbon and Budweiser).

What is a hungry pastor to do?

Just before my mind started devising schemes and insane plots to kidnap those lil’ “Mmmm Mmmm Good” Campbell’s Soup twins (I’m telling you I was desperate), the Lord reminded me of Jesus’ words: 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' (Matthew 4:4) I know Jesus doesn’t mention Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup by name in that verse (I think it would have been very confusing—and may have made the people in the first century a little jealous—to hear about such a tasty soup that wouldn’t be created for 1900 years) but the same principle applies: “Get your mind off your tummy and onto the things of God.”

You know that’s not a bad lesson. In fact, that’s the point of this Lenten season. That’s why we fast or give up something like burgers or chocolate or TV as we approach Holy Week. It’s to get our mind off of the things of this world, and on to the things of God. There’s still time to do just that. As we make our way toward Holy Week and Easter, make time to think about the things of God. Seek him. Seek His direction for your future, your family and all your ways. And of this you can be sure: Finding God’s favor is even better than finding a can of Campbell’s Condensed Fiesta Chili Beef Soup on a supermarket shelf. David was absolutely right when he wrote: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8) How true it is!

Snow, Snow Go Away!

Why does it always snow on Sundays? More than a few strong and hardy people made it to Central yesterday-- and the Lord was with us as we continued in our Stories from the Upper Room Series. If you were afraid of the slippery roads and stayed home, check out our website and listen in to the sermon on our Advocate from John 14:15-31.

The Feaste of St. Valentine

Tonight begins the first of three performances of the Feaste of St. Valentine. It will be a great night, I am sure. The cast and crew have put in many hours of work to make this a success. I'm looking forward to it!

Numbers Numbers Numbers

Numbers, numbers, numbers. Here are some numbers that I’ve seen this week.

68,095 dollars. That was what my little “fun-filled vacation” in St. Luke’s Hospital cost. Of course, that does not include the emergency room at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (I think that bill was around seven grand), doctors, technicians, and I don’t know what all. Wow! For you non-math whizzes that figures to nearly 10,000 beans a day—and I thought a day at Disney World was pricy.

67,595 dollars. That’s how much our insurance paid. Whew… I am glad for health insurance. While 500 dollars out of our pocket (so far) is nothing to sneeze at (or blow a head gasket over); it’s a whole lot better than 68,000 smackeroos!

276 years ago (next Friday) the most famous person in my family tree was born: George Washington. The rumor is that somewhere on my mama’s side of the family we are related to old George Washington’s mama, Mary Ball Washington. Who knows if it’s true or how we are related? It’s President’s Day Weekend, so I thought you might be a little impressed.

13 years ago (on Saturday) my little Ben was born. I know for a fact that I’m related to him (and his mama). The only thing that Ben has in common with George Washington is their wooden teeth (that’s not true) and their ability to chop down a cherry tree (that could be true).

52 people will be leaving one month from tomorrow for a mission trip in El Salvador. Besides working on a church building we will be holding dental clinics in some public schools, leading VBS like gatherings, and participating in some Jesus film showings. I hope you are praying for this trip and the people who are going. Be looking in the worship folder for supplies that we will need to take with us that you can help provide.

4 ties I have yet to wear for missions. I finished wearing my Royal’s tie on Sunday (if you were counting, I wore that lil’ beauty four weeks in a row), and now have a KU, K-State, Ohio State, and my own tastefully eloquent Michigan tie to wear. For those who may be unaware, people paid 200 bucks for me to wear those ties (compared to staying in a hospital, that’s a bargain). The 200 hundred dollars helps pay for the building supplies for our mission trip. And yes, you read that right; I paid 200 of my own cold hard cash for the privilege of wearing my own tie.

24 hours (actually less than that) until Valentine’s Day. Please use this as a reminder. You may recall that last year I waited too long and ended up purchasing two dead Wal-mart tulip plants for my wife, Karla. Bad idea. I’ve planned better this year, and I hope you will do the same. Because when those potted plants hit you on top of the head… it hurts! (Just kidding, my wife has never hit me with a potted plant. Maybe she has wanted to—but her self-control has heretofore always won out, thankfully!)

24 hours (actually less than that) until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. Can summer be far behind? I haven’t been this excited for a Spring Training since 1985 (the year after the Tigers won the World Series.) Unfortunately, that year didn’t work out so well for my Tigers, instead a team with guys named Balboni, Biancalana, Iorg, Quirk, and Quisenberry won the series—anybody ever hear of those guys? (Can you believe that I used the word “heretofore” in the last paragraph? What was I thinking?)

38 days until Easter. Are you praying for a neighbor, co-worker, friend, or family member that you can invite to Easter Services? Quite possibly, heretofore (I’m using that word so much you’d think I was a lawyer), your friends and loved ones have not expressed interest in things spiritual, but through prayer (maybe even fasting), God can soften their hearts. Everyone you know should celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus!

That’s all the numbers I know. So, I will “86” this email, and as Smokey (or was it Bandit?) used to say, “10-4, Good Buddy!”

Ties for Missions

Yesterday was my last day wearing a Royal's tie. If you haven't noticed, I've worn the same tie the last four weeks because people paid $200 each week for our mission trip supplies. I still have to wear a KU tie, K-State tie, and awful of all awfulness an Ohio State Buckeye tie. I even paid $200 mself to wear my own University of Michigan tie.

I suppose it's not too late-- if you have a special tie and are willing to give $200 for missions I am willing to wear it (maybe... nothing too crazy or my wardrobe warden -- that is, Karla, might rejected it.)

Another Good Day at Central

Yesterday was a good day! Many folks were helped in discovering that in the midst of their "no way situations" God will make a way. I think I am going to like this Lenten series of Stories from the Upper Room. This week we will be looking at the end of John 14, and the exciting announcement from Jesus about "another Counselor."

Ash Wednesday Recap

The Ash Wednesday Service last night was a really good service. Some of our folks had never been a part of such a service, and I think it was extremely meaningful.

Have you decided on something to fast during the 40 days of Lent? If giving up chocolate or soda is not your thing... how about fasting sports or TV or fasting from complaining or anger or spending too much money. Use these days to come up with a way to focus on what it means to follow Christ and follow his example of being a servant.

A Sweet Week

The old song says, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before….” I won’t dispute the lyrics, but I must admit that this week has had some goofy twists and turns in that ever growing sweetness.

Sunday was the Super Bowl. I didn’t have a horse in the race, so I really didn’t care if the Giants or the Patriots won the game. (When you root, root, root for the Detroit Lions, you come to the conclusion that even if all the other horses die of the plague and yours in the only horse in the race, somehow your old grey mare will still find a way to mess it up.) I enjoyed the commercials, the half time show, and most of all, the snacks at the party I attended. Who cares about football? Pass the Crunch-N-Munch.

On Monday, I attended my first basketball game in Phog Allen Field House on the campus of the University of Kansas. (Well, the first since my being the pastor at Central. I attended one game in 1988 when the Jayhawks had a kid name Danny Manning playing for them. I wonder what ever happened to that team.) The Jayhawks squeaked out a victory over the Missouri Tigers (they won by 19 points), and I heard more Rock, Chalk Jayhawk chants in more ways than I thought possible. There were fast “Rock Chalks,” slow “Rock Chalks” and nearly cult-like and eerie “Rooooooock Chaaaaaaalks.” Hmmm… maybe “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” really means “Worship the Spaghetti Spaceship.” In any event, I had a wonderful time. Sorry MU fans.

Tuesday was both Fat Tuesday and Super Tuesday. I guess you could say it was a “Super Fat Tuesday.” But it wasn’t all that super or fat for me. Usually on this day in Michigan, we would eat pazckis (pronounced Punch-keys). The story is that the Polish immigrants that settled in the Great Lake State would take their extra lard and use it up before Lent by making pazckis, which are a type of jelly donut. I couldn’t find any pazckis in Kansas. (Maybe that was best. My new diet doesn’t allow for pazckis, cookies, or practically anything else that tastes good.) So I didn’t get fat on Tuesday, and the lack of an open Kansas primary is not very super in my opinion.

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday (make a note to attend the service next year if you were not here last night, it was really terrific!) and we also had at least two whole of inches of snow that “buried” the city and caused all the area schools to close. Two inches of snow closes the schools? Are you kidding me? Why in my day… (Oh my I was about to sound like my mom recalling days of waist high snow and sub zero temperatures in which she walked to school uphill, both home and back, as a girl). I think my son Ben’s “Snow Day School Ritual” of putting a spoon under his pillow and wearing his pajamas inside-out the night before must have worked because I have never heard of school being canned for two inches of snow. (By the way, I am not sure where Ben learned of this ritual and I do not know the significance of the inside-out jammies or the spoon. I am slightly worried that I have a closet witch doctor living in my house. ) We were then faced with the decision of what to do about our Ash Wednesday Service, I made the call that Ash Wednesday trumps two inches of snow twelve hours before the service. So in spite of our inclement weather policy that would have had us canceling the service, since the powers that be at the Shawnee Mission schools are “snow fraidy cats,” we had the service. As they say in Hollywood, “On with the show…” I am glad we did too. What a service!

Wednesday I also officiated at the funeral for Henry Langstaff. Henry was a great guy, who loved the Lord. He is walking on the streets of gold where presumably they don’t have two inches of snow and they never cancel worship services.

What is in store for the rest of the week, I can only guess—but I know this—God is in control, and as you grow in the Lord it is sweeter each and every day—whether you eat a paczki or not.

Ash Wednesday Service

Looking Forward to Wednesday Night's Ash Wednesday Service. We will meet together as we begin the season of Lent. Plan on being part of this meaningful service for the whole family.

Surprise, No Surprise

That yesterday was a Super Sunday... no suprise.
That the Giants beat the Patriots... surprise.
That we had a great time praising the Lord, dedicating babies, digging into his word, and celebrating communion... no surprise.
That Pastor Kevin made it nearly through two worship services while very sick... surprise.
That John Hall our Worship and Arts intern stepped in and did a great job at the end of the second service... no surprise.

Sunday should be Super!

I'll be wrapping up the sermon Series: Operation Disciple: The Inner workings of a Disciple. It's family Sunday -- so our grade school children will be worshipping int he sanctuary. We will also celebrate communion together. I heard that they are playing a football game in Arizona in the afternoon this Sunday too. Our youth have two parties planned for the Big Game.

What a deal!

What would you do with $850,000? Buy a new house, car, and Rolex watch? Invest it? Tithe on it? Give it away? Send your pastor on an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii? (I like the way you think!) Well, that could have been my dilemma by the end of the day, because according to an e-mail I received yesterday from a minister in the Republic of Benin, I am the recipient of an ATM credited account of $850,000. All I have to do to receive that boat load of money is send in my bank account information and a $98 processing fee and the 850,000 smackeroos will be mine! WOW! What a deal!

If my math is correct, I would stand to make a profit of $849,902 from that $98 investment. While I would love that to be true, excuse me for being a wee bit skeptical. Maybe I shouldn’t be such a cynic. I just read the story of Howard Schultz, who in 1987 decided to buy a small chain of coffee shops for four million dollars. Maybe you’ve heard of these stores, they are called Starbucks. Well, five years after that initial investment, Starbucks stocks went public and old Howard made 273 million real bucks in one day. Not a bad payout for a four million dollar investment. Still, my ninety-eight dollar investment in an ATM account doesn’t seem to be the same kind of opportunity. Just what exactly is an ATM account, anyway? And why is a minister of the gospel offering such a deal? Most of the preachers I know don’t have that kind of loot. (Present company included, I assure you!) Why does the good Reverend Maxwell Bello of Benin need my bank account information in Kansas? I’ve never been to Benin. I’ve never heard of Benin. Sniff. Sniff. I smell something rotten in Denmark (or Benin to be more geographically correct).

My guess is that these scams work because people wish and dream that they could strike it rich one day—without work and with little effort. “Somehow if I can do nothing and still get rich quick that would be really cool,” they wish upon a star. Presumably, the notion of a windfall for the low, low price of $98 is too much of a temptation. So they dutifully send in their 98 buckaroos and bank account numbers and the next day (“Surprise, surprise,” Gomer Pyle) they discover that they are not only missing their 98 dollars but everything else that was in their savings account.

The old adage is true: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I know of only one completely and totally too good to be true story. Here it is: Jesus Christ gave up the glory and splendor and majesty of heaven for an old rugged cross for you and me. It’s unbelievable but true. While we were unlovable, God loved us. It’s unbelievable but true, that God daily pours out his love on me and you. It’s unbelievable but true, that God longs to be in relationship with people like us. John Newton called it “Amazing Grace.” The Apostle Paul put it this way: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved! (Ephesians 2:4-6). And there is even more good news; we don’t even have to send in a $98 processing fee to receive it. Wow! What a deal!

Back in Kansas

It's good to be home and good to be back in the blogging world once again. Karla and I enjoyed the time away at the COK conference. We renewed some friendships, were able to rest and relax, and had some meaningful meetings and conversations about pastoring in these days.

I am feeling pretty well (not quite 100%) but pretty well, and will be resuming a full schedule.

Sunday was a good day.... we have such a great church! I really liked the Youth Sponsored Spaghetti Dinner (Yum!) last night and Pastor Padraic preached a fine message.

A wake Up Call

Karla and I will be leaving tomorrow for a conference. So I may be out of the "blogsphere" for a while. If I can, I'll keep on blogging from time to time. The conference is on a cruise ship-- so there will be meetings and rest and sun and hopefully recuperation. I really hope that when we return I'll be able to resume my regular (albeit modified) schedule.

One of the "wake up call moments" of the brain hemorrhage is my realization that I have to make some life style changes. Diet and exercise will be a part of that, but also I am having to come to terms that days off are important, and maintaining a healthy balance of work and rest is important. All of my doctors (especially "Doctor" Karla) are insisting that the pace in which I have kept may not have caused the hemorrhage but did not help the situation. So I will be grappling with some of those areas in the days ahead. If even the Lord needed rest on the seventh day, we are foolish to think that we do not need it. It's a lesson I am learning. Unfortunately it took a brain explosion to teach it.

The Minister became the "ministeree"

Before this last month, my only other stay in a hospital was 32 years ago. I had a really bad tummy ache. Everyone said it was just a tummy ache. Turns out it was a ruptured appendix. So following its grand explosion, I spent ten days hanging out in the hospital and eating McDonald’s burgers (a treat back in those days). I think my mom felt bad about the whole tummy ache diagnosis and, since I was a tad spoiled anyway, and since I was a tad picky on my eating habits, she brought me yummy burgers to eat instead of the awful hospital food. It wasn’t too bad of a deal. For my troubles, I got lots of burgers, a little scar on my side and an autographed picture of Al Kaline (think of him as the Detroit Tiger’s version of George Brett). It’s hanging in my office to this day (the picture of Al Kaline, not my ruptured appendix).

My most recent hospital stay was for a week following the worst headache of my life. As you know, my noggin, like my appendix, had a grand explosion too, also know as a subarachnoid hemorrhage. I didn’t get an Al Kaline autograph or McDonald burgers or a scar for my troubles this time around. Karla did bring me a club sandwich from the Cheese Cake Factory one night. I am still a tad picky in my eating (and maybe a tad spoiled) and since I had grown sick of the hospital food (the shoe leather covered in gravy was a little too unappetizing), my lovely bride found me something better to eat. It’s another reason why I love her.

She wasn’t the only one to show me kindness. Not by a long shot. Not a day has passed that I haven’t received a get well card or a thoughtful e-mail telling of family prayer times on my behalf. Moreover, we have consumed many wonderful meals that folks from the church brought into our house during my recuperation. Some wonderful ladies even paid no attention to Karla and her ridiculous rule of “no desserts” and brought cookies, cakes, brownies, ice cream and pie anyway. Thank you for not listening to that silly, silly rule! (I am neither a doctor, nor the son of a doctor, but I say a good way to overcome bad pains in one’s melon is to fill the tummy with yummy treats!)

One family in the church provided our entire Christmas dinner. They made the whole deal. Karla heated it up and brought the ham, sweet taters, beans and yummy cake (and I don’t know what all) into my room at St. Luke’s Hospital. We turned my bed into the buffet line and we had a glorious Christmas dinner. Others secretly passed along money to Karla to help with the extra expenses that we were incurring. And some sent along gift cards to restaurants so that she would not have to take time cooking.

All of this is to say, the minister became the “ministeree.” (I am sure that is not a word, but you know what I mean). Since my little brain hemorrhage the tables have been turned and the people to whom I have ministered to and with the last couple of years have reached out in wonderful ways and ministered to me and my family. I think old Martin Luther would be proud to see “the priesthood of all believers” in action, ministering in such a wonderful way. You know, it’s true: we should all be ministers—whether you have an ordination certificate hanging on your wall or not. Our calling as “Christ follower” means we care for one another and think of ways to share and show the love of Jesus. And many, many people have done that for me these last four weeks.

So thank you Central Nazarene. Thank you for ministering to me. Thank you for the prayers. Thank you for being such a great place to serve. Karla and I are leaving for a conference tomorrow. OK, the truth is that the conference is on a cruise ship… so, I’ll have a few meetings with other pastors of churches similar to ours and hopefully there will be a little more recovery and rest and sun and sea, and I will return completely ready to join you in ministering once again.

Another Day, another doctor

Went to another doctor today-- a neurologist-- who also thought I was coming along nicely. I will see her again in a month. She said the headaches from the brain hemorrhage should be ending soon. Yippeee!

I need to say how well the pastors of central have stepped in-- and done a great job in my absence. We have a great pastoral team at Central and they have proved it this last month!

A Great morning at Central!

Oh it was wonderful being at Central this morning. Great Worship. Great to be in the pulpit. Great seeing the tremendous response to God's word in both services. It was just great!

Tomorrow is only a day away!

I really think God is going to do something great at Central tomorrow. Not simply because I am preaching (I can't wait!!!), but because of all that has happened: brain hemorrhage, still headaches, still fatigued, yet... God will get the glory!

I haven't preached in what seems like forever... and I am so excited to be with the folks of Central and to see what God has in store. We are going to have a great day. I know it!

A Good report

I went to the neurosurgeon today and the report is that I am improving. The nurse practitioner was surprised at how well I was doing. I am not. To God be the glory great things He has done! They say a couple more weeks and I'll be good as new (or at least good as before). God is so good!

I'll be preaching on Sunday... I can't wait. It seems like I haven't preached since last year!

God's Grace is all I need

Headaches are no fun. Thanks to my little brain explosion of a couple of weeks ago, I have had a headache that the doctors say will be around for a couple of more weeks. They have given me drugs to make them go away, and the drugs work…. a little. For the most part, I have come to this conclusion: headaches are just no fun at all.

When you have a headache like mine, little noises sound like a drum and bugle corps is marching through your brain. And sometimes bright lights even hurt your brain. And sometimes when the headache is really, really bad you think “Hmm, I wish I could just cut my head off and I will feel much better.” Of course, I know that cutting off my head would probably not be the wisest decision of my life and might cause a few other complications. So, instead of losing my head, I lay quietly in bed hoping, hoping, hoping that the pain in my brain will somehow reach the level of a jackhammer and thereby become somewhat manageable.

I have prayed, “Lord is there some great lesson I can learn from my headache?” He has given no earth shattering revelations.

I have prayed, “Lord, will this help me better understand the pain others experience?” While I am sure that it will, He has neither confirmed nor denied this truth.

Why share with you this part of my journey? Some of you might be dealing with pain too. And simply because Jesus is our Lord and Savior and Redeemer and Friend does not mean that all pain has henceforth been eliminated from our lives. Sometimes when we are struggling with pain or with life, it’s not easy. I chose to use the word “struggling” in the previous sentence on purpose. Sometimes life can be a struggle. Sometimes it’s hard to smile and say, “Yippee! Yahoo! Everything is great!” when things aren’t so great. Faith is not plastering a phony smile on your face and saying: “Everything is great, when your head feels like the drums in an Ozzy Ozbourne concert and you know good and well that everything is far from great.” Faith sometimes is saying, “I have a great headache, but I have a greater God.” Or “I have a great problem or I have great trouble, but I have a far greater God.” You see, I know this: The God who spared my life and sustains my life and graces my life with His presence will see me through this day. I will trust him. I will rejoice in Him. I will not give in to the temptation that denies a loving and faithful God.”

Paul had an issue that he called “a thorn in his flesh” (read all about it in 2 Corinthians 12). Three times he told us he prayed that God would remove this thorn and three times God said, “Nope!” Oblivious to all HIPAA and privacy laws, Bible scholars have ever since debated what exactly his “thorn” might have been. They have guessed and surmised and suggested everything from bad vision to depression to gout. I certainly don’t want to add to the pool of guesses and I don’t want Paul to file a lawsuit for invasion of his privacy when I get to heaven’s courts, so I won’t make a guess as to what Paul’s thorn might have been. But this I know: Whatever God does with my pain, like Paul, I want to come to the conclusion that God’s grace is all I need. I want to focus on the greatness of God’s grace rather than the greatness of my troubles.

You see, God did not promise us a pain free, trouble free, never-a-problem life, but he did promise to be with us. He promised that even when I walk through the “valley of the shadow of death” (that sounds like a very bad place, doesn’t it?) even in that very bad place, we need not fear because he is with us (see Psalm 23). So I will not fear. I will trust. I will hold on to the fact that He is taking care. And I will proclaim loud and long that God’s grace is sufficient for me.

When you have a very bad day or a very bad headache or a very bad thorn in your flesh, I pray that you will say the same thing: God’s grace is all I need!

A phone call from the ICU

One of the funniest things that happened when I was a little loopy following my brain hemorrhage was the message I left with my secretary on the Friday morning from the ICU. I informed her that I would not be in the office that day... I think I'll play the tape on Sunday. You won't believe it. I neither remember making the call or giving the message... but it is funny.

Getting Back in the saddle

It was good to be at the church for a few hours today and participate in our weekly staff meeting. Good things are happening at Central. Great to have new Worship and Arts Intern Jon Hall also at the staff meeting.

Heard great reports of the services on Sunday. Thanks to Dr. David Nash and Rev. Molly Frei filling in on Sunday.

I still miss Central

I really thought that I would be able to attend Central this morning. Oh do I miss it. Unfortunately last night was a bit rough and I knew I would not be able to attend. I was more sick this morning than I have been all week (why does that happen on Sundays? It's kind of like why do snow storms always seem to happen on Sunday mornings?)

So my worship time this morning consisted of some personal devotion time, listening to the sermon from Nashville First Church of the Nazarene (Gary Henecke is a great preacher), and then watching a local preacher on TV (He will remain nameless-- I would have gotten much more if I listened to two sermons from Gary Henecke).

Thanks for your prayers, the plan is still that I will be in the pulpit next Sunday! I think it will take wild horses to keep me away... I'm getting a little antsy.

A blown head gasket

After Karla commandeered this e-mail last week, I thought I had better take it back over or soon she would be preaching on Sundays and wanting to officiate at weddings. So from my bedside…

I was reading a list of some famous (and infamous) people who passed away in 2007. Among others on the list were people like Anna Nicole Smith, Don Ho, Lady Bird Johnson, Jerry Falwell, Evel Knieval, Kurt Vonnegut, Merv Griffen and Tammy Faye Bakker Messner. I noticed one name that wasn’t on the list: “Rob Prince.” I am told that it very easily could have been. As such, I am keenly aware that I have been given a gift this Christmas season. It wasn’t wrapped in fancy paper. It had no tag from a sender, but I have been given a tremendous gift: Life.

As most of you know, on December 20, 2007, I had a brain hemorrhage, or a brain bleed or in some ways a brain/blood problem. My non-medical, motor city rendering for what took place in my noggin is: A Blown Head Gasket. I definitely do not recommend such an event on the Thursday before Christmas. Imagine your worst headache, times ten, and happening instantly while sipping your morning’s McDonald’s coffee. That was my Thursday morning two weeks ago. While I do not remember much from the first few days, I do recall that in the first few moments before leaving my desk, thinking “Wow, I think I am either having a stroke or a brain aneurism.” I also remember praying: “Lord, I am pretty sure that you and I are OK, just be with my family in the next few days.” I’ll be honest-- that’s a very, very weird prayer to pray.

Well, since I am writing this e-mail, it’s fairly obvious that God has been with my family and me these last two weeks. I am doing well, and while fighting fatigue and headaches, the doctors are expecting a full recovery without any surgeries. Here are a few observations from the last few weeks:

1) Life can change in an instant. Be ready. Always be ready to meet with God.

2) Our Central family is awesome! I have received so many cards and reminders of how the church is suppose to act and love. Thank you Central Nazarene!!!

3) Hospital Food is not nearly as good as Central food. Many meals, yummy meals have been sent to our house. Thanks again, Central Naz!

4) If I saw you in my first two hospital days, please allow me to offer this disclaimer: I said many goofy things either as a result of 1) the brain hemorrhage, or 2) the medication for the brain hemorrhage. So disregard anything I may have said. Here’s one example: One of my ICU nurses asked me if I ever introduced myself as “Roberto.” When I said, “Never,” she informed me that was exactly how I introduced myself to her and what I wanted her to call me on that fateful Thursday. Weird. Very Weird. Please no one call me, “Pastor Roberto.”

5) Two facts from the week of the “Blown head gasket:”
Fact #1: The doctors believe that a spike in my blood pressure caused the hemorrhage.
Fact #2: Less than 24 hours before the “blown head gasket,” my 16 year old cherub, Alex, received his first ever Kansas Driver’s License.
Alex insists that Fact #1 has no correlation to Fact #2. He’s probably right.

6) As I enter 2008, I anticipate making a few life changes this year. I’ll probably exercise more, eat less fries and more salads, and in all things appreciate the moments of grace and joy that the Lord provides every, single day. (I see my doctor today; he might offer a few more suggestions).

7) I am very appreciative of a great wife, a loving family, a wonderful church and a gracious Lord who never left my side.

Went to the doc today

I went to the doctor today. "So far so good" was the non medical assessment of my situation. I see my other doctor in a week and have to make a couple of appointments with a couple of other doctors in the coming weeks. I went from being basically healthy and rarely seeing a doctor to becoming a medical professional groupie. Ah well, hopefully this will set a course for a healthy many years to come!

Thanks again for all the cards, e-mails, meals and other signs of love that many of you have shown myself and my family. We have felt very loved!

Wedneday at Central

I thought I might try to come out and see some folks at the church tonight.... but I think I over did it some today. I wrote out a few "thank yous," undecorated a tree, boxed up some gifts that didn't get delivered to Michigan and that pretty much used up the energy pile for the day.

Ah well, I love Wednesdays at Central. Unless I am counselling someone or meeting with a group, usually I am just hanging out, greeting people and enjoying the fellowship of being with God's people. So, I'll miss tonight. Enjoy the evening at Central!

Happy New Year!

Yippee! 2008!
What an awesome year is ahead! God has great things in store! People will find Jesus this year as their Lord, Savior and Friend. People who right now have no hope will discover the hope of Christ. I can't wait to see 2008 as the greatest year for Christ that I have ever witnessed!

I missed Central!

I don't know how people can stay away from their faith community. I really missed Central yesterday. My "church" consisted of some devotional time, watching a new missions DVD (I saw some Centralites in the video clips-- Rob and Cindy North and Nancy Firestone) and then listening to last Sunday's sermon from my friend Rev. Shawn Siegfried in Visalia, California. It wasn't like being there. I missed y'all.

I am continuing to get better. My hope is to be in church on Sunday.

Have a Happy New Year!

Home Sweet Home

Home sweet home!
The doctor released me from the hospital on Thursday Night and we got home around 9 PM. Because of a medication snafu, yesterday had a bit of a rough beginning. But things are on track now, I think we have the meds managed and I am on the mend.
Thanks to for all the help, the meals, the cards and especially the prayers! I probably won't be able to join you at Central tomorrow-- but you will be in my prayers!

Christmas in the Hospital is not so bad

It is Christmas Eve and I am still in the hospital-- I just left ICU and am now in a regular room. The doctors say that I will be here until Wednesday. The MRI done today showed no permanent damage (Praise the Lord!) and the issue now is stabilizing my blood pressure. They feel that a spike in my blood pressure (for whatever reason) was the cause of the hemorrhage in the first place.

So we will celebrate Christmas in a hospital. All in all that's not so bad, I remember hearing about someone celebrating his first Christmas in a barn!

I have much to be thankful for!!!!!

Praising the Lord

On Thursday morning, while working at my desk, I had a brain hemorrhage. That little fact, has meant the last few days I have been hanging out in the ICU at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City. After an initial diagnosis of a brain aneurysm, the doctors have (mostly) determined that whatever happened was not a result of an aneurysm. They are now trying to figure out just what happened. Usually people my age, who don't smoke or drink or have high blood pressure or are overweight don't have the troubles that I had. So... the doctors will run a few more tests to try to determine if this little episode will happen again. Something none of us want.

So the bottom line is-- besides a pretty good headache and a couple of lost days (I don't remember much of Thursday or Friday) I am doing OK, will probably go home on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and am praising the Lord that it wasn't worse!

Thank you for your prayers.

Being a Wise Man (or Woman) this Christmas

The wise men started this whole gift giving business at Christmas. So blame them the next time you venture into a crowded mall looking for the perfect gift. Blame the wise guys from the east for any head aches you may incur from troubles in locating this year’s version of the “must-have” childhood gadget (and by “wise men from the east,” I don’t mean the Chinese toy manufactures).

The wise men had it easy. They never had to wait in the express checkout lane at their local Frankincense- R-Us store. They simply brought the myrrh, they never had to spell “myrrh” (don’t you think it’s missing a vowel, Vanna?) And they never spent any of their hard earned gold on a fancy GPS system, since they had a great big ol’ star giving directions every night.

Oh sure they had to deal with kooky king Herod (one day I’ll tell you of my portrayal of Herod at my last church that had some parishioners questioning their pastor’s… um… manliness. Let me just say, in as deep of voice as possible, I will not be doing a Herod monologue anytime soon). Still, I think I would take my chances with Herod over some of the crazy-eyed Wal-mart shoppers fighting over the last remaining Chia Pet or some such thing on Christmas Eve. And yes, the wise men had to travel from “a far” to find the baby Jesus, but really can that be any worse than traveling from Olathe in an ice storm and finding a parking spot at the crowded Oak Park Mall on a Saturday night? I think not.

In any event, blame the wise men for this gift buying frenzy. They started it. But notice this: when they brought their gold, frankincense and myrrh it was an act of worship. Did you catch that? As an act of worship, they gave. Too often we think of worship as what we can get. How often have you grumbled on your way home from a less than powerful sermon “I didn’t get anything out of worship today”? We think of life as what we can get out of it. Our chatter about Christmas is often spoken in terms of what we will get this year. But the wise men gave. We too would be wise to have our worship more focused on what we give than on what we get.

And speaking of our giving, far from grumbling about the inequalities of the tithe (Do I tithe on the gross on the net? Could we cut the tithe from 10% to maybe 8% this year?), like the wise men we should rejoice in our giving. We should be all about “joyfully giving.” God has blessed us, every one of us, how could we do anything but cheerfully give! Like the wise men, shouldn’t we give to the Lord as an expression of our worship and thankfulness?

Moreover notice this about the Wise Men and their gifts:

Their gifts were personally given. The wise men never called UPS and their brown trucks to deliver their loot, but I’m sure they could have sent the gold, frankincense and myrrh with an errand boy had they so desired. They were important men, busy men. But they didn’t call up FedEx or Western Union; instead they wanted to personally deliver their gifts. It took some sacrifice and time and effort to give their gifts, but they did it. Here’s how the Bible tells their story: “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:10-11) Could we “open our treasure chests and give” as the wise men did so long ago?

They gave unexpected gifts. Mary was not waiting by her door hoping for some wise men from the east to bring her requested myrrh or a vat of frankincense. Their gifts were unexpected. It was a surprise.

And they gave with joy. The Bible tells us that the wise men were filled with joy. It was a joy to give. No grumbling. No shortchanging the baby Jesus. No calculating what’s the least I can do and still be OK. They simply worshiped and they gave.

That’s how I want to be. With my giving to the Lord, I want to sacrifice and give unexpected gifts (not simply the requirement but rather I want to be an exuberant giver!) and thereby being a joyful giver. And throughout the Christmas season, as I give gifts to my loved ones-- I want to give gifts personally. I want to put some thought into the gifts I am buying. And I want to give some unexpected gifts. Not gifts that I have to buy, for someone who is expecting a gift from me, not giving for the sole purpose of recognition or glory, but rather I want to give some unexpected gifts to people who won’t (or can’t) repay. And I want to give with a joy filled heart. I want to give out of gratitude for what God has done for me.

With twelve more shopping days till Christmas, think of giving gifts this year personally, unexpected and with a joy filled heart. Whether giving to the Lord, a loved one or to a total stranger give with joy. If you do that, even if you’ve never ridden a camel from “a far” you will be wise man or woman!!

I hate Ice

I hate ice storms or threats of ice storms. Yesterday's ice and threats of ice kept many people from seeing a very wonderful Christmas Musical from our Worship and Arts Department. If the ice kept you away... you missed an excellent program!

In the PM, the ice kept down the numbers for the so-long to the Halls. But never fear, there is still time for you to give a going away gift, and their is still time for you to say "So Long!" since Joe, Any and Sam will be with us for two more weeks before heading to OKC.

I am excited about this Sunday's edition of God at the Movies. We will be looking at the Christmas Classic: A Christmas Story. Remember don't just attend Central... invite a friend to join you as you come to Central!

The Texting Revolution

If you are living in the 21st century, then you know that text messaging and instant messaging has become the communication of choice for many. My own dear son proudly boasts of “texting” over 3,000 times a month. When I question such behavior, he informs me of his friends (who shall remain nameless, since some of their parents may read this fine little article) who text over 10,000 times in a single month. To which I reply: WOW!

Just last week, the whole Prince clan entered into the world of “unlimited texting.” Whether it is 10,000 or two text messages, it’s the same price of $19.99. So in an effort to get more for our money, we no longer speak to each other. We simply text. For example, “Time 2 eat” sends the boys running to the kitchen like Pavlov’s dogs. (I am only partially exaggerating).

If you are a participant of the texting world, then you also know that true texters have their own lingo by which they communicate. I am learning this “text speak.” So in an effort to be culturally relevant and educate all the non-texting people, allow me to write the rest of this article in text shorthand (If not from the texting generation, no need to get out your Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, simply read below for the translation of the message).

HF,
HIG ISTM and PLZ CMIW, this texting is not EZ. 2 understand fully 1 must FITB of many things. If U R having MSG troubles and have said WIM, HO.

FWIW there are many ways 2 say the same thing. For instance ILU and 143 and even 459 are synonymous. Moreover if U really want to say LY, 1 could text LUMTP or LYL and if saying CIAO as well, 1 might type LYCYLBB. Honestly, 404 4COL! HHO1/2K.

JSYK, a Christian texter might type WWJD (or maybe WWJT) or even GLYASDI. Remember, U MBN, TILII, and AFAP ALOTBSOL.

So TOPCA, TTFN
Pastor Rob


OK, here’s the translation (abbreviated text words in bold):

Hello Friend,

How’s it going? It seems to me (and please correct me if I am wrong) this texting is not easy. To understand fully one must fill in the blanks on many things. If you are having message troubles and have said “Woe is me” hold on.

For what its worth, there are many ways to say the same thing. For instance “I love you” and “I love you” and even “I love you” are synonymous. Moreover if you really want to say Love you, one could text “love you more than pie” or “Love you lots” and if saying good-bye as well, one might type: “Love you, See you later, Bye Bye.” Honestly, I haven’t a clue, for crying out loud! Ha ha, only half kidding!

Just so you know, a Christian texter might type what would Jesus do (or maybe what would Jesus text) or even “God loves you and so do I.” Remember, you must be nice, tell it like it is, and as far as possible always look on the bright side of life.

So till our paths cross again, ta ta for now.
Pastor Rob

The bottom line to all of this: how ever you do it, in whatever language or font… share the love of Christ. That is our calling, our task, our duty as believers. Love God and Love people.

Weekend Reflections

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent and the "official" launching of the Christmas Season. Our new Sermon Series, "God at the Movies: Christmas Edition" got off to a great start by using the familiar Christmas story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. (I had a few comments that people didn't realize how mean Santa was in that story... he was kind of mean to poor Rudolph). In the PM our children kicked off the season with a wonderful musical. All did a great job!

This week our Worship and Arts Department tell the Christmas story in "Be not Afraid." Invite. Invite. Invite your friends and neighbors to this Sunday's performances at 8:30 and 11 AM. In the PM, we will have a so long celebration for Pastor Joe and Amy (Their last Sunday is going to be December 23rd).

Here's the rest of the Christmas Schedule:

December 16 AM: God at the Movies: A Christmas Story
PM: Work and Witness Auction
December 23 AM: God at the Movies: It's a Wonderful Life
PM: NO PM Service
December 24th: Christmas Eve Service at 6 PM

Our Hodgepodge Tree

There’s a town in Michigan that we Prince’s would go to this time of year called Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth is known for a couple of things. It is a touristy town with horse drawn carriages and covered bridges and quaint shops selling touristy type of things like fudge and blown glass. There are a couple of famous restaurants that serve family style German chicken. (I have a funny story about eating at one of those restaurants, Zender’s Bavarian Inn. Remember everything is served family style and one of the items brought to our table was liver pâté. Unfortunately, Karla didn’t know what the “brown scoop of something” was and assumed it to be chocolate butter. Have you ever heard of chocolate butter? Me, neither. Still, I know this… whatever chocolate butter would taste like if such a thing existed, it would be nothing like liver pâté. Anyway, she ate a big bite of the “chocolate butter” and nearly came unglued as he gagged and coughed a lung all the way to Bavaria. It was quite amusing, although I am not sure that Karla shared in the humor.) Frankenmuth is also home to the largest Christmas store in the world, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland.

Bronner’s Christmas Store is about the size of five and a half football fields. You read that right: FIVE and ONE HALF FOOTBALL FIELDS of Christmas stuff. Try to imagine thousands of ornaments, nativity scenes, and artificial trees packed on five and a half football fields, and you can begin to picture what Bronner’s is like. It’s a Christmas Crazy Super Store. And at this time of the year, we would head to Frankenmuth for hot cocoa and Bronner’s so the boys could pick out an ornament for the year’s Christmas tree.

From past shopping excursions, on our tree will be a Bat mobile ornament, a Tasmanian Devil on a motorcycle ornament, several University of Michigan ornaments, a giant icicle ornament, and there’s even a pickle ornament. I’m not exactly sure how University of Michigan ornaments or a pickle ornament convey the story of Christmas—but they will be on our tree.

Actually, we have several Christmas trees in our house. We have “Karla’s tree.” That’s the tree that has all things pretty and frilly and girly and it’s the tree that we boys are not allowed to touch (I think Karla prefers that we don’t even look at it!). We will have a snowman tree which has lots of snowmen ornaments. There are trees with just lights, some with no lights and some that have ornaments and lights. Maggie our dog even has a tree—filled with doggie ornaments. But my favorite tree is the one with the bat mobile, pickle and sports themed ornaments. It also has some of the handmade ornaments the boys have made through the years, and ornaments that friends and past church folks have given us. The tree is a hodgepodge of ornaments and decorations and unlike the “Karla Tree,” ”Snowman Tree,” and “Maggie Tree” there is no theme, no color coordination, no rhyme, no reason.

Tonight is the night that we are going to decorate our hodgepodge tree. It’s one of my favorite nights of the entire year as we pull out the Christmas CD’s, make some popcorn and unwrap all those ornaments from Bronner’s Christmas Store. You see, we won’t simply be placing Christmas bulbs on a tree, but rather we’ll be putting our memories on the tree. There will be memories of when the boys were younger and memories of friends and families. As we are hanging the tinsel, lights and ornaments, I am sure there will be many comments like: “Do you remember when we got this one?” or “Do you remember who gave us this bulb?” And once again it will give Karla and me an opportunity to share, with the boys, stories of family, friends and faith that has led us to this point in our lives. A few of the ornaments were gifts from my missionary friend, Rod—as we hang those ornaments it will give us another opportunity to pray for him. A few of the ornaments were given by folks that have since been “promoted on to glory” and it will give us opportunity to pray a prayer of thanks for how God used those givers to touch our lives. There will be a couple of “Baby’s First Ornaments” that will remind us of happy times in Bad Axe and Fraser, Michigan when our Christmas presents and decorations were sparse but the joy of Christ was just as great as we celebrated with a new baby that had graced our home. Yes, tonight is going to be a wonderful night… I can hardly wait to share these moments with my family.

I hope that as we enter the Advent season, you and your family will have moments like this too. My prayer is that you will have opportunity to remember the past joys and to build future memories. Don’t get so wrapped up in the stuff of Christmas or the business of Christmas so that you forget to create memories and moments to share God’s grace with those you love.

Thanksgiving Time

On Thursday, if you are like most Americans you’ll wake up to watch Santa Claus come to town in Macy’s parade. Some want-to-be TV star will tell you corny jokes as they announce the high school marching bands from places like Walla Walla, Washington and Eureka, Illinois and describe the massive floating cows sponsored by The American Dairy Council making their way down 34th Street in New York City. You may watch a little football (if like most years, and it pains me to write this, the Lions will probably lose and the Cowboys will probably win). Sometime in between the Lions giving up a fumble return for a touchdown and their offensive line allowing the quarterback to be sacked for the gazillionth time, family and friends will gather.


Uncle Joe will be there talking about his gout. Aunt Betty Lou will announce she is dieting this Thanksgiving and will only eat one small piece of Suzie’s special deluxe pumpkin pie. Cousin Billy Bob will be talking all things NASCAR (How can one person know the name of every pit crew member of Junior and Jimmy Johnson’s teams?). There will be the assorted others that remind you that most families are like the old Clint Eastwood movie: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The house will be loud. Football games in one room, video games in the other, and the un-liberated women folk in the kitchen.

The roasting turkey makes your mouth water. The time you’ve been waiting for will soon arrive.

Sneaking a peak in the kitchen, the room from which you’ve been banished with threats of “finding something for you to do” gives you an eyeful of that fabulous bird. Young Tom has been groomed, basted, stuffed and prepared for this moment. The thought of grabbing a leg and eating like a medieval king has you giddy with anticipation. If you have a mechanical engineering degree, you take time to plot out the adequate space on your dinner plate for the stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet taters, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, tiny carrots, celery, olives, corn, dinner rolls, cheese ball, coleslaw, red jello salad with bananas, crackers, and of course, Aunt Suzie’s special deluxe pumpkin pie with lots and lots of whipped cream. If you don’t have a mechanical engineering degree, you might need to find a bigger plate.

Finally, oh so finally, at the perfect moment, when hunger and anticipation meet someone will say, “Dinner Time!” and everyone will take their places around the table, (or if it was like when I was a kid--the adults will be at the “Big People Table,” and the kids will be at the “Little People table”), then someone will pray a prayer of thanks and the eating will commence. Not much talking is happening now, unless it’s to ask cousin Jimbo to pass the salt and pepper. A wise man once told me, “Every time you talk you miss a bite.” No one wants to miss any bites. Not today. The sounds of eating fill the room.

Following that last bite of pumpkin pie, there will be more football, sleeping, and maybe a family game or movie. If living in Kansas City, maybe the tradition is to head to the Country Club Plaza along with a couple hundred thousand of your closest friends and watch the mayor or some such Kansas City pooh-bah flip the Plaza Christmas Light switch. “Oooo! Ahhh!” everyone says like they were a Who from Whoville on Christmas morning.

Finally, with a tummy full of turkey and a heart full of the sights and sounds of the season, you will put your head on a comfy pillow and say: It’s been a good day.

Unfortunately not all will have such a Norman Rockwell-esque day. Many in our world can not even dream of the meal I just described. Carefree thoughts of parades, football games and pretty lights are pushed from their minds because of the real life horrors of wars or hunger or homelessness or loneliness or oppression. For many, there is no soft pillow at the end of the day, and for that matter no bed and no home.

I know, I know we can’t box up our turkey and send it to the poor and hungry in the remote corners of the world. I’m sure the gravy would leak out of the box. And I’m not suggesting that we give up our traditions of an American Thanksgiving Day. But I am also not suggesting that we do nothing. Just this week, I saw a cartoon. There was pictured hundreds and hundreds of people lined up as far as you could see and each person was thinking the exact same thing: “What can I do? I’m just one person.” Maybe you can’t change the world— but you can make a difference. And together we can make an even bigger difference.

This Thanksgiving take time to be thankful. Be thankful for all the privileges and blessings that you have been given, but also think of ways to show your thankfulness. It’s not too late to invite a lonely senior citizen over for dinner (what’s a couple more people around the table?). Maybe showing your thankfulness can be accomplished by grabbing a family this Sunday from Our Central Cares Tree—and providing Christmas to a needy family, maybe you could sponsor a senior high student to go on the El Salvador trip and possibly change his or her life forever. Maybe you will make plans to help out at the Rescue Mission this month. The point is: Do Something. Don’t just say you’re thankful, act like you are thankful. Share the blessings that God has given you.

A Slow News Week

Since nothing all that exciting or amazing or weird or funny or bizarre has happened to me this week I am stumped as to what I should share with the good people of Central.

It’s too early to write about Thanksgiving and too late to write about Halloween. I refuse to write about the presidential debates and nothing spectacular has happened in the world that requires comment from a preacher in Kansas.

At the Prince Palace, life is pretty normal. Alex was home sick today… but I don’t think anyone would want me to share that story. I could see the headline: PK PuKes (It would not be a good article for those with weak stomachs.) Ben is practicing his guitar as I write this article, but you don’t want me to share about that either. Headline for that one: BEN DETERMINED TO BECOME THE NEXT JIMI HENDRIX OR DEAFEN HIS DAD TRYING. Karla is at Hobby Lobby determined to spend nearly all of our disposal income on either dried flowers, scrapbooking supplies, “necessary” home decorations and/or all of the above. Headline would read: RECEIPT FROM HOBBY LOBBY MAKES PASTOR ROBBY WHOBBLY .

I am not sure that I could get a spiritual lesson from any of those events.

I could write about some of the news of the day. Foxnews.com has an article suggesting that life on earth came from Mars. Umm… ok. First we came from monkeys, now from Martians. I’ll stick to the story that God created me, if that’s OK with y’all. There’s another article about a man from India who married a dog. I have officiated at dozens of weddings, and while some of the brides were less than beauty queens, none required a flee collar. Foxnews.com is just plain goofy. It must be a slow news day.

The sports pages remind me that the Ohio State vs. Michigan football game is this week. That is usually good for an article or two. I could tell some of my standard Buckeye jokes (How do you get an OSU Summa Cum Laude off your front porch? Pay him for the pizza!) But this year is different. Who would have ever thought that the KU-Missouri game would be a bigger deal than Buckeyes vs. Wolverines? I am crying maize and blue tears just thinking about it, I’m sorry I can not write about it. It’s too painful.

I could write about some secret inner office happening at the church. But other than the obnoxious bragging going on because of MNU (beating a sister college from Illinois over the weekend), KU (9-0, I still don’t believe it), and the proper use of language during the announcements, there’s not much to write about.

Last week, we did have an invasion of gnats at the church. Rumor has it that a banana was hidden in Pastor Cory’s office, but now the gnats are gone. How about this headline: GNASTY GNATS GNO-LONGER GNAVIGATING GNAZARENE GNAVE! Unless you are talking plague of locusts, it’s hard to get a Biblical point using bugs, so I guess I can’t write about our gnats either.

So without any epiphanies concerning this little article, I will simply write that I am glad to be your pastor. Central is a great church with many wonderfully, committed believers who really get it that we are to be a light in the world. Thanks again for the pastor appreciation cards, comments and check from the church. Have a terrific week, and I’ll see you on Sunday!