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Forward Look Journal Who Am I

A new place in cyberspace for my blog

 

A new domain name

In preparation for my retirement from Community Wesleyan Church in a few months, Steven Sgroi, my web technical guru, and I are working to untangle my internet presence from the church’s internet site.   As a part of that process, my blog will have a new location in the future.  For now, if you try to access it from the old address it will redirect you to the new one just fine, but eventually, you will want to find me at the new address site—learntobewise.com.

Living wisely is the focus

I am excited about the possibilities of this name too.   Just think about the fact that one whole section of the Old Testament is devoted to wisdom.   I think also about the last words of Psalm 107 which might just be good mission statement for my blog at learntobewise.com.   I should be writing in such a way that my reader would want to take the Psalm writer’s advice.   “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord” (Ps 107:43 NIV).   I have always felt that one of the jobs of a pastor is to live wisely and help others live wisely also.  So I think this new domain name will be a great fit.   I also like the idea in the name that we are not wise all at once.  Rather, we are always learning and becoming wiser.

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Journal

Conflicted spring leads to unusual birding

Some signs of advancing spring.

This afternoon as we drove back from visiting our daughter and family in Connecticut, I noticed numerous robins foraging on the ground wherever they could find an open spot in the snow cover form the recent storm.   As I drove in my driveway here in Kirkville, one flew away from the portion of lawn that had been exposed by the plow blade.  Last week I had seen grackles and a couple blue herons.   This afternoon my wife also remarked on how the buds on our red maple were expanding and turning their characteristic spring hue.

But winter is hanging tough

But seeing the robins was a small comfort after hearing the weather reports predicting more cold and another potential weekend storm.   As if the piles of snow were not enough to indicate exactly how bad the contradiction is this year between the lingering winter and the emerging signs of spring, I was sitting on my porch watching the birds for a few moments while putting on my shoes late this afternoon and suddenly realized that those birds on the thistle feeder were not goldfinches or purple finches.   They looked different and they had little red topknots–those were redpolls!  They are Canadian birds that only occasionally irrupt into the states when the winter is bad in Canada.  I could not believe I had just seen a flock of redpolls and a robin in my lawn on the same supposedly spring day!   Now there’s a once in a lifetime birding event for this area, I would say.

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Church Leadership Journal Joy Notes

Italian Dinner was a Fun Event

 

Italian Night, a great theme event

One of the things JoAnne and I will miss from Community Wesleyan is the themed fellowship dinners.  Over the years we have attended many of them from Valentine Dinners with intimate settings for two to grand senior buffets with all kinds of themes.  Last Saturdays’ Italian night was a bunch of fun, not just in my opinion, but from the reports of many who have commented on it to my wife and me both privately and publicly.  

Bible Trivia contests were fascinating

The occasion was the long delayed wrap-up of the Big Bible Bonanza emphasis we had in the late fall.  The two teams – the Goldfish under the leadership of Rhett LaForte and the Blue Angels rallying behind Mark Boswell — battled for points that could only be earned by consistent daily Bible reading.   Bonuses went to those who did not miss a day and to teams with more than sixty percent not missing a day.   After many weeks, the Goldfish prevailed.   So the Blue Angels had to prepare the dinner, while the Goldfish picked the menu.     To keep with the Bible knowledge goal, at the dinner, we played Bible trivia in three ways.   Two games were written quizzes.   One was a paragraph containing hidden names of Bible books.   Several people found all sixteen.   The second was a matching test.   Again, a few whizzes aced it.   The final trivia contest was a live rematch between the two teams.  Pastor Kelvin emceed the game and the Blue Angels won by just one question.   

Thanks to the organizers and artists

Thanks go to JoAnne Jones who thought up the Big Bible Bonanza emphasis to encourage daily Bible reading and who also planned the Italian feast.  Thanks also to Lea Harrington and Keely Stater who lent art work and to Lea for decorating so beautifully.   The artwork was so elegantly set as you can see in the pictures.   Thank you to all who cooked and all who helped make this fine event happen. 

 [nggallery id=55]

 

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Church Leadership Journal

Lenten & Easter Series Planned

Walking with Jesus today
Walking with Jesus today

Pastor Eric kicked off our Lenten Easter series called Walking with Jesus this past Sunday.   He and I have been working behind the scenes on the entire outline for this series.   Our goal is to focus our thoughts in the Gospels on the ministry of Jesus and our reaction to it.   This will help us all to be powerfully confronted again by Jesus in person through the pages of Scripture.   We are always changed for the better by such an encounter, just as his disciples were.  

Walking With Jesus – Lenten/Easter Series for 2013

Date

Sermon title

Text

Speaker

Suggested Hymn

Feb 17

Temptation in the Wilderness

Matthew 4:1-11

Pastor Eric

Tell Me the Story of Jesus (203)

Feb. 13

Called to Hear

Mark 4:1-23

Pastor Kelvin

Open My Eyes (119)

Feb 24

Called to Follow

Matthew 8: 18-22; 9:1-13

Pastor Kelvin

Follow On (440)

Mar 3

Communion

Considering the Cost

Mark 8:27-38

Pastor Kelvin

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken (447)

Mar 10

An exemplary Convert

Luke 19:1-10

Pastor Kelvin

Redeemed (557)

Mar 17

Confronted by Humility

John 13:1-20

Pastor Kelvin

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (78)

Mar 24

Jesus Before Pilate

John 18:29-38

Pastor Eric

O Zion, Acclaim Your Redeemer (209)

Mar 27 (5:15 PM)

Soup and Scriptures

The Weeping Savior

Luke 19:41,42

Pastor Kelvin

 

Mar 29 (7 PM)

Good Friday

Seven Last Words

 

Pastor Kelvin leading

Were You There  (228)

Mar 31 (8  AM) Sonshine

Jesus Conquers Death

John 20:1-18

Pastor Kelvin

Great Victory

Mar 31 (10 AM) Celebration

Power for the Path

John 20:19-31

Pastor Kelvin

Christ the Lord is Risen Today  (231)
Categories
Americana Journal Joy Notes Who Am I

A little inside winter fun

B&O by John WinfieldPuzzle fun

What do you do in winter when the snow is flying and the temperature is dropping?   Well, among my wife’s and my favorite pastimes for winter evenings after Christmas are jigsaw puzzles.   We have a collection of them and we put several together every year.  Once one is together we look at it for a short time—the harder it was—the longer we look at it—then we tear it apart again and box it up again, storing all the pieces carefully in a plastic bag tied securely with a twisty so no pieces are lost.  The season must always begin with JoAnne’s old favorites from childhood.  They are thick Tuco ones with a piece or two missing, but what they don’t have in looks, they have in memories.  Then we progress to the harder and bigger ones.  We just boxed back up this one; it was 1000 pieces.  The black sections were fairly tough.    Now we are starting one that focuses on America’s National Parks.  

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Church Leadership Journal Joy Notes

Expository Preaching Course Concludes

Teaching Preaching100_1222

Once again this winer I took my turn in serving as teacher for the Burmese Bible School, Syracuse location.    My assignment was a new one—to teach a course in expository preaching.    I accepted since preaching is a favorite discipline of mine and I felt well prepared both by my years of formal training and by my own practice of study and preaching.  I also felt that I might be able to build on the foundation I had made last year when teaching Introduction to Homiletics.   There is a huge amount of preparation and the course delivery is concentrated—three weekends, Friday evening and all day Saturday.  So it is draining but also exhilarating.   For most of the sessions I prepared PowerPoint outlines and handed out printed notes.   This helps the interpreter to follow me too.   In addition, in this course Pastor Than and myself each preached exa100_1221mple sermons for the class.   I also shared many example sermon outlines.

Pastor Than Aung Assisted

It was my privilege once again to have Pastor Than Aung as my interpreter.   Since he is a Princeton grad himself, he is a very capable assistant as well as interpreter.   This is what is needed as much of the grading responsibility falls to him due to the need for him to read the students’ homework and test answers in Burmese.   I very much enjoy teaching prospective pastors and teachers and am energized by it.   I was also extremely gratified by the beautiful encouraging words I received from the students at the close of the last session.    

The pictures are my class this year. 

Categories
Journal News Commentary Wisdom

Blood and guts films morally offensive

I cannot believe that after the massacre at Sandy Hook, this chainsaw massacre movie can be number one.    

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/01/06/chainsaw-3-d-carves-out-no-1-debut-with-23m-at-box-office/

Just from the article’s description, people of good moral intelligence should find fare like this disturbing at least and after Sandy Hook, downright disgusting.   It should have hardly a cult following and only among the unthinking and uncaring.  The fact that it is number one is a terrible indictment of our society.   God has warned us that those who fail to hate bloodshed will find it pursuing them (Ezekiel 35:6).  

In my view those who make these kinds of movies are on the same moral level as pimps, drug dealers, gambling house owners and others who make money at the expense of the vices of others.    Jesus himself warned that offenses (things that cause others to stumble) will come but that at the judgment it will not go well for those who bring them.

 “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! (Mt 18:7  NIV 2011)

 

   

 

Categories
Journal

Christmas star

When we think about the historical birth of Jesus, it makes us curious about the star.  Here’s a neat article on the Christmas star recommended by my friend Spencer Soohoo whose hobby is astronomy.

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/24/16115672-that-christmas-star-of-wonder-still-leaves-plenty-to-wonder-about

Categories
Journal Meditations

A devotional for Christmases that are not the same as those in the past

Here is a very thoughtful and personally touching devotion for everyone facing Christmas in different or difficult circumstances this year.  It comes from the insightful mind of Shirley Mullen, President of Houghton College.  I think you’ll be blessed as you read it.

http://www.houghton.edu/president/

Categories
Journal News Commentary Wisdom

Movement against violent games gaining traction

I am so happy to see that others are recognizing the need to do something about the violence in media.  I am praising God for the change of heart of this 12-year-old middle school student from Connecticut. He changed his mind and behavior after attending the funeral of one of the victims of the Connecticut massacre.   This article from the Hartford newspaper tells the story

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting/hc-newtown-united-sandy-hook-shooting-1220-20121219,0,2500252.story.