Inviting. All People. Into A Living Relationship

As we put language to our mission at Good Shepherd, we know there is one thing we want to avoid: dead religion.

Because dead religion is everywhere, isn't it? Some Christians and even some churches seem to specialize in it.

You may even have had seasons in your life where your religion felt dead. I know that I have.

Which is why we want to name this thing we pursue: a living relationship.

It's what I'm talking about this Sunday and I can't wait.

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

First Serve This Weekend

It's a First Serve weekend.

It's not just for Saturday anymore; we've got Friday opportunities as well.

To be part of the ministry with far reaching community impact, check here. Find a venue that fits your schedule, abilities, and passions, and make a difference.

The Priesthood Of Believers Vs. Apostolic Succession

Candy bars one day, arcane church structure debates the next.

In the course of some friendly e-conversation with a fellow UMC pastor regarding lay involvement in baptism and communion, I realized that we weren't really disagreeing over baptism and communion.

Our differing viewpoints went back much further, to a fundamental debate in church history: the priestood of believers or apostolic succession?

Huh?

Under the doctrine of apostolic succession, the original 12 apostles (substituting Matthias for the recently departed Judas) conveyed spiritual responsibility and sacramental authority to their successors in ministry by laying hands on them. Paul alludes to this in I Timothy 4:14.

Well, that original "laying on of hands" has continued in an unbroken though widely divergent (think both Southern Baptist and Greek Orthodox!) line ever since. That's what an ordination service is all about.

So apostolic succession determines much of the who, the where, and the when in celebrating the sacraments. Only persons who stand (or kneel) in apostolic succession -- who are part of an unbroken line of heads who have hands laid upon them -- can officiate or celebrate the sacraments. Our friends in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Episcopal worlds hold strongly to this belief. Because of our historic connection to the Episcopal (Anglican) communion, Methodists have held ever so moderately to it as well.

Yet with the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s came a renewed emphasis on a slighltly different doctrine: the priesthood of all believers. I Peter 2:9 says it this way: "But you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God . . ."

If we are all "priests," then, we are all in ministry. We can serve one another in times of grief and in times of remembrance. We can teach one another rather than simply taking the clergy's word for it. We can express gifts of tongues, healing, and miracles . . . together. I'd say we can even -- gulp -- celebrate baptisms together in the presence of the gathered church.

I suppose you can tell who landed where in my e-conversation. My friend stands and kneels in apostolic succession. I believe it to be a doctrine more suggested in Scripture rather than taught in it.

And I'm doing all I can to unleash the priesthood lurking inside so many Good Shepherd believers.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Candy Bars

There is nothing quite like a good candy bar, is there?

I remember when they cost a dime. I'd ride my bike up to the neighborhood Seven-Eleven Store, put a dime on the counter, and ask for a Baby Ruth. Those really were the days.

It's no exaggeration to say that candy bars have been a fixture through my life. So what are the five with real staying power?

5. Rocky Road. They didn't even sell these in Texas when I was growing up; I remember being introduced to them on an occasional tennis trip to California. But the way that the chocolate works with the marshmallow makes the few I've had memorable indeed.



4. Mr. Goodbar. These were a staple of my younger adult years. All chocolate, all peanuts, all the time. And I never went looking for him, either.



3. PayDay. On rare occasions, a candy bar without chocolate is in order. Enter this combination of peanuts, caramel, and enamel-eating sugar. Do NOT try an imitation.



2. Baby Ruth. My favorite from childhood. For some reason, I thought I'd matured beyond them in recent years until people at church started giving them to me after a sermon in which they were featured. As good as ever.



1. Nutrageous. OMG. Chocolate, peanuts, caramel, peanut butter, all rolled into one delicious confection. I buy five at a time and the people behind the counter give me a sly look as if to say, "What's your problem, dude?"

Reflections On 100

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of my father's birth.

Although he died in 2006 and so "only" lived to be 95, there is something about the 100th anniversary of anything that is worth noting.

So it is with my dad, Harvey Davis. Here are some things I've been thinking of:

1. He was born in Alabama -- no banjo on his knee -- but grew up in Akron, Ohio. It's fascinating to me how many people from Good Shepherd also grew up there . . . though of course long after my dad.

2. His family did not have much in the way of wealth or education. Yet he miraculously worked his way through the University of Akron in the depths of the Great Depression, earned a full scholarship to SMU Law School, graduated from that school with what at the time was its highest GPA ever, and then returned to join the faculty there after World War II.

3. He married my mom in 1937 and they stayed married til death did them part 69 years later. Together, they raised eight children and lived in places such as Falls Church, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Chicago, Illinois; and then long stretches in both Dallas and Austin, Texas.

4. He was 50 when I was born. I'm turning 50 in November. No.

5. He was unfailingly loyal to anything related to SMU or the Democratic Party.

6. My father and I are different in so many ways -- body type, temperament, religious views, and thickness of hair. He still had a full head of hair at his death. I don't think he realized how good he had it on top of his head.

7. In spite of our differences, every once in awhile I see my inner Harvey Davis come out. Especially the way a ball bouncing in any indoor space will just about send me over the edge.

8. From my point of view, he was an ideal "tennis father." Many parents of young tennis players pressure their children, monitor their practices, and cause scenes at tournament sites. Dad did none of that. He would remain mute during my matches, never criticizing me, my opponents, or the officials. I also took for granted all the sacrifices he made to go with me to tournaments across Texas and around the country.

9. He was born before Adolf Hitler, Charles Lindbergh and Jonas Salk changed the world forever and yet died after Osama bin Laden, Steve Jobs, and Christiaan Barnard had done the same thing.

10. He attended Good Shepherd once back in 1999 and the experience was sufficiently different from his previous exposure to church life that he pulled me aside before the service even began and said, "I want to make a gift to your building fund." He later explained what happened this way: "It felt so good in there that I just felt like I wanted to be part of a winning team." High praise indeed.

Inviting. All People.

Last week we unveiled our new mission statement at Good Shepherd:

Inviting All People Into A Living Relationship With Jesus Christ.

We drilled down into the meaning of "inviting," drawing inspiration from Jesus' own adventures as an invited guest in Luke 14.

This week we'll look at the "who" of the invitation: All People.

Because here's who is counting on us:



Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

Some Random Questions

So here are some questions I've found myself asking recently:

1. Why do modern-day captains of industry make money merely by moving money rather than producing goods and services?

2. Why does the Remasters CD of Led Zeppelin's greatest songs not include two of their greatest songs, Fool In The Rain and Over The Hills & Far Away?

3. Why does the heavy regulation of NCAA sports simply result in more rules that people break without knowing what they are?

4. Why do I see about the same number of one handed backhands as I see pterodactyls flying in the sky?

5. Why do classic rock stations play nothing recorded after 1989?

6. Why do we so rarely see or hear tallies of Iraqi civilians killed since the invasion of 2003?

7. Why does Don Henley insist on staying with the Eagles instead of recording his own, better material?

8. Why do those on the radical fringes of the United Methodist Church not simply join with the Episcopalians or the United Church of Christ instead of trying to move the rest of our denomination to places it does not want to go? The Episcopalians and the UCC abandoned orthodoxy long ago and will surely welcome a group of like-minded folks in.

9. Why do some series that I think will usher in the kingdom bomb while others we put together almost at random have such deep connection?

10. Why is it the louder some people speak the more you doubt what they have to say?

11. Why did you read all eleven questions?

When You Know You're Successful

I'm not exactly happy with the fact that this photo shows Larry Fitzgerald scoring agains the Panthers, but you have to admit that it's a cool shot.

It also demonstrates the fact that football teams know exactly when they are successful: when they cross the goal line. There is no ambiguity there. The goal line is always before them.

In a lot of church life, however, there is a great deal of ambiguity around "success" or "effectiveness." We've had no small amount of that uncertainty at Good Shepherd. How do we know when we are effective?

As part of the launching of the new mission of inviting all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ, we've tried to remove that ambiguity by spelling out what a living relationship with Jesus looks like.

We've identified seven measures in the life of a Christian that indicate a living relationship as opposed to a dead religion:

Saved By Grace.
People in a living relationship with Christ embrace the Gospel truth that they are saved by grace. For some, this will happen in a decisive encounter while for others it will be a gradual realization. For all, it results in gratitude for Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Filled With The Spirit.
And then they will be filled with him again. And again. Through fervent prayer and passionate worship, people encounter the supernatural power of the Spirit who sends them into ministry.

Maturing In Faith.
People with a living relationship with Christ continually mature in their discipleship. For many, but not all, Life Groups will be a primary venue for spiritual maturity.

Serving In Love.
People with a living relationship with Christ develop a servant life-style by joining in Serve Teams which help both church and community.

Consistent In Relationships.
People with a living relationship with Christ live their faith in their homes first of all. The people of Good Shepherd preserve marriages, honor parents, and encourage children.

Generous With Resources.
People with a living relationship with Christ recognize that all they have comes from God and so are glad to give generously to his work.

Sharing The Gospel.
People with a living relationship with Christ acknowledge eternal realities and share the Gospel and its life-giving power with people far from Christ wherever they live. The invited become inviters.

Those measures make up our goal line. I pray we'll have a lot of Larry Fitzgeralds strivintg to cross it.

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Guitar Solos

A couple of months ago, I posted about my Top Five Rock Guitar Riffs.

Today, it's my top five solos.

And what's the difference between a riff and a solo?

A riff is a recurring sequence of notes that forms the song's signature, while a solo is longer and more improvisational. It occurs only once in a song.

So here's my list. I've stayed away from some that may well be your favorites but that simply go on too long to interest me much. So: my apologies to all you Southern Rock fans, but neither the Allman Brothers nor Lyrnyrd Skynyrd appear below.

5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps, by the Beatles with Eric Clapton. While this may be George Harrison's creation, Clapton's guitar work gives it a life full of mournful soul.



4. Long Time, by Boston. There are actually three solos in this one. Long Time gets such heavy airplay on classic rock stations and sounds so much like a product of its time that you can forget how good it really is.



3. Badge, by Cream. Eric Clapton again in this little gem of a song with incomprehesible lyrics and unforgettable guitar.



2. Heartbreaker, by Led Zeppelin. How great was it to be 15, get my brand new cassette tape of Led Zeppelin II, put it in the new player my mother bought me as a surprise gift, and take the whole setup to tennis tournaments around the country? Well, pretty great. Especially when I'd get to Jimmy Page's solo in the middle of Heartbreaker and wonder, "how in the world does he make it sound like that?"



1. Hotel California, by the Eagles. The Eagles weren't and aren't really a guitar solo band. Yet I never tire of listening to Don Felder and Joe Walsh duel it out at the end of Hotel California. It's almost like "who's going to win the race between these two guitars?" They both do.

Big House Launch

Last night we launched the fall season of our Big House Student Ministry. 200 students, 40 volunteers, food, music, conversation, teaching, and prayer.

And one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time: a VIP "Lounge" reserved strictly for sixth graders.

Now: it can be intimidating for sixth graders to move up to youth ministry. Like I said, the crowds are large, the music is loud, and most of the other kids are older. And cooler.

So what better way to make the youngest in the group feel welcome than a VIP Lounge? Not only did they have special seating, but a cadre of older teens put on aprons and served them their meal. At their seat.

Here's what it looked like with featured appearances by student servants Lexi Nichols and Sheresa Rankin:



Taking those students who are typically ignored at best and ridiculed at worst, even in youth ministry, and giving them a place of honor at the banquet?

That's what it means to invite all people into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.

Even sixth graders.

It's A Living Thing, Week One

Something new is underway at Good Shepherd.


We’re reshaping, refining, and revisioning what our church is all about.


And it all starts with the Big What: what is it that we are doing? What is our purpose in establishing this presence on this corner?


After almost a year of conversation, prayer, and dialog, we’ve landed here. We are . . .


Inviting All People Into A Living Relationship With Jesus Christ.

That’s who we are and what we do. It’s our mission. We’re inviting everyone we know not into a building or into a religion or even into a worship service. We’re inviting people into a living relationship with a living Lord.


It truly is a living thing.



September 18: Inviting

September 25: All People

October 2: A Living Relationship

October 9: Jesus Christ


Sunday. 8:30. 10:00. 11:30.

And Another

I remember once seeing a church sign that had as its tagline: "that in all things Christ might have preeminence" (Colossians 1:18).

Let's give that one a C for marketing but an A+ for theology.

Colossians 1:15-20 is one of my favorite carried away passages from Paul's work:

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

This is the gospel in a paragraph:

* The divinity of Christ (1:15 and 1:19)as the foundation of all other thinking;
* The central role of Christ in creation (1:16),echoing the affirmation of John 1:1-14.
* The sovereignty of Christ over his creation, including over all pretenders to his throne (1:17).
* The tender care Jesus gives to his creation and to his people -- "in him all things hold together."
* The role of the cross in reconciling people to himself (1:20). Some have suggested that with the phrase "reconcil[ing] to himself all things" Paul is arguing for a universal salvation that includes creation itself. While I'm persuaded by the imagery of an ultimate, expansive restoration of people and things, nevertheless the bible is simply too full of warnings against coming judgment and references to the reality of hell to give universalism serious consideration.

This week's worth of posting had its genesis in the study of another of Paul's carried away moments from Colossians. This one is in 3:11; ironically, I was preparing for a message based on 3:12 -- "clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience" -- when I recognized that 3:12 makes no sense apart from 3:11:

Here (the church) there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave for free, but Christ is all and is in all.

Christ is all and is in all.

I pray my spirit and my writing and even my preaching gets carred away to those kinds of heights.

Still Carried Away

It's no exaggeration to say that the book of Ephesians brought me back from the brink and into faith.

Yesterday, I spoke of the role of Paul's first prayer in Ephesians 1. Now look at his second prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21:

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Look what is available to us: "power through his Spirit . . . power together with all the saints . . . immeasurably more power that is at work within us . . ." When you live this prayer, you recognize that true faith is not limiting; it is limitless.

And speaking of limitless, I love the progression of verses 18 & 19. Notice the dimensions of God love: "how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." And then pay attention to the impossible "command" of v.19: "to know this love that surpasses knowledge."

How can you "know" something that is beyond knowing? I don't know!

But you can feel that love. You can be surprised by that love. You can be comforted by that love. And you can never escape the clutches of that love.

That's worth getting carried away today.

More Getting Carried Away With Paul (Part 2)

Top Five Tuesday will return next week. I'm carried away with Paul.

In 1986, I was in a dark place spiritually. I was living as a mid-80s yuppie, feeling disconnected from any call into ministry, and wondering at times if it wouldn't just be easier to live without any faith claim at all.

Yet prevenient grace intervened.

I made friends with an assistant pastor in our New Jersey town and he wasted little time before directing me to Ephesians 1:15-23, one of Paul's most emphatic "carried away" sections:

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Notice a few things:

1. According to verse 15, this is a prayer. So Paul is pacing in his dictation room and he becomes so overcome with love for the Ephesians that he breaks into spontaneous prayer for them.

2. In speaking of Jesus in verse 21, Paul escalates the titles of those powers still subject to Christ: "all rule & authority", "power and dominion," "every title that can be given." As high as the human mind can conceive, Christ is higher still.

3. But it was a phrase in verse 17 that snapped me out of my spiritual doldrums: that God "may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation." My New Jersey friend was reminding that God wasn't finished with me; that there are always new things to learn about the depths of his truth and love. So I began to open Scripture anew in that season of life, praying each time for the "spirit of wisdom and revelation."

I have to believe part of the reason I am serving a local church today is because God gave abundant answer to that prayer from 1986.

Getting Carried Away With Paul, Part 1

I have found myself wanting to get carried away like Paul recently.

What do I mean by that?

Scattered throughout his letters, there are times when Paul becomes so exuberant about the subject at hand that he simply gets carried away. It's almost always when he is speaking of the authority, sovereignty, and mystery of the risen Christ.

When that is Paul's subject, his language becomes thick with adjectives, full of adverbs, and replete with wonder.

When you remember that Paul most likely dictated his letters, you can envision him walking around his scribe, gesturing with his hands, raising his voice, and becoming more and more in love with his topic: Jesus, Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings.

I know the times I get most carried way in preaching come when I am preaching on Paul's own carried away words.

We find one such carried away place in Romans 11:33-36. Paul is here speaking with great personal anguish over the eternal state of his family, both immediate and extended: the Jews. Yet here's how he closes the stream-of-consciousness argument he's been having with himself since Chapter Nine:

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”[b]
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?”[c]
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Indeed.

The World Was & The World Is -- A 9.11 Remembrance

We've got something unique planned for this Sunday, September 11, 2011.

We're remembering the 10th Anniversary of the 9.11 attacks with a reflective service that includes choir, visuals, message and response.

It's a stand-alone worship time, not connected to either the series we just completed (Boundaries With Kids) or the one we'll start next week (It's A Living Thing).

The best part is the voices and the stories of your fellow pilgrims at Good Shepherd that will help shape your remembrance of September 11, 2001.

Along the way, I pray it gives you spiritual prepration for where you will be on September 11, 2021.

Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

The Value Of A Good Life

Peter says this to the early church:

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (I Peter 2:12)

I'm as struck by what Peter doesn't say as by what he does say.

Peter doesn't say that a disbelieving world will "hear our good words" and glorify God.

He doesn't say that a skeptical population will "read our good advertising" and so glorify God.

He doesn't say that irreligious people will "hear our good music" and so glorify God.

None of that.

Skeptics become seekers and pagans become pilgrims by seeing the good deeds the church does in the name of the church's Lord.

It's the subtle yet enduring witness of a life lived with integrity and sacrifice.

It's why some of the best preaching this church does is when we fan out into the greater Charlotte community through First Serve.

It's why our students' best evangelism comes through Spring Breakthrough.

It's why, as one pastor says, we should never underestimate the power involved when the church becomes living proof of a loving God to a watching world.

Boundaries With Kids Rewind

Boundaries With Kids is one of the most personally rewarding series I've been part of at Good Shepherd.

I say that for several reasons:

* I didn't even want to DO the series at this time, so I KNOW God took over;
* So many people who do not have children nevertheless came out to support the series and the ministry;
* Many folks brought their children to last Saturday's First Serve as a tangible response to the series and as a way of teaching that the world does not revolve around us.

By way of review, here are the four "one points" from the four weeks:

1. Get out of the moment and into the future.

2. You can only give what you already have.

3. The goal: that Jesus would be divinely present in them when you are physically absent from them.

4. Frustration is your ally in demolishing entitlement and establishing gratitude.

And here's the closing video that, combined with a stirring version of Chris Tomlin's "Forever," brought the series to a close:

Top Five Tuesday -- Top Five Weapons In Men's Tennis History

The U.S. Open is all about weaponry. Hard courts, hot weather, unruly fans, and the biggest weapons win the biggest prize.

So in light of all that, I'm giving the top five weapons of my lifetime. What particular shots have done the most damage in what we know of as the "Open Era" of tennis -- from 1968 to the present?

Here goes:

5. Ken Rosewall's Backhand. Rosewall's career spans the two eras of tennis history -- the amateur days before 1968 and the early years of the pro game in the late 60s and early 70s. That's why he won the U.S. Championships in 1956 and the U.S. Open in 1970, both at Forest Hills Tennis Club just a few miles from the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens.

But it was his backhand that was simply sublime. He had the rarest of shots: a slice backhand that was not a defensive response but an offensive weapon. Wielding the racket like a surgeon's scalpel, his backhand cut opponents up with uncanny precision and surprising power. I was there when his backhand return of serve broke Rod Laver's game and heart in fifth set tiebreaker of the 1972 World Championship of Tennis in Dallas.



4. John McEnroe's Serve. Other players have had harder serves. Still others have had more accurate serves. But none have had one as lethal as McEnroe's twisting, turning, corkscrewing lefthanded delivery. Follow it up with his feathery touch volleys, and you have ample reason for Bjorn Borg's retirement. I love the photo below with its bird's eye view of McEnroe's signature windup.



3. Roger Federer's Forehand. It starts out looking like a throwback Eastern grip, closed-stance forehand. Midway through it transforms into a semi-Western grip blur. By the end time he's finished with his thoroughly modern follow through, the ball is by you with impossible speed and improbable angles. I still can't figure out how he does it. But he does.



2. Rafael Nadal's Forehand. I hate to admit it, but Nadal's forehand is better than Federer's. It's the grip. It's the spin. It's the over-the-head follow through. It's the biceps. But more than anything, it's the fact the returning a shot laden with such power and spin leads to abject exhaustion on the part of his opponents. Six French Opens and counting . . .



1. Pete Sampras' Serve. Beauty, power, placement, and courage have harmonic convergence in this, the greatest weapon in tennis history.



There exists a long list of honorable mentions in this category: Jimmy Connors' return of serve; Stefan Edberg's backhand volley; Boris Becker's serve; Ivan Lendl's forehand; Andre Agassi's passing shots, and Bjorn Borg's footspeed.

Boundaries With Kids, Week 4

You have an unexpected ally in the battle against entitlement in your children and grandchildren

But I can't tell you yet.

And don't miss our video that closes the experience and the series.

I will on Sunday.

8:30. 10. 11:30.

------------------------------------------------

Though it's a holiday weekend, we are still having First Serve both today and tomorrow.

To be part of putting feet to your faith, check out the options here.

When The Best Ideas Stare You In The Face

Ever since we moved into our current Worship Center building in 2005, we've wondered how to put a Prayer Room in the facility.

We considered various classrooms, alcoves, offices, and even closets. None of them had that combination of visibility and privacy that a prayer room needs.

And then last month, inspired by my friends at Steele Creek Church of Charlotte, it hit me: put up three walls in an under-used part of our lobby, soundproof them well, decorate it tastefully, and VOILA! we'd have a Prayer Room.

And so that's what we are doing. Here's what the construction looks like:



And an inside view:



In retrospect, the solution to our Prayer Room Problem was staring us in the face for the last six years. It simply took some different eyes and different inspiration to see it.

Isn't that the way it is with most of life's issues?

With this one, at least, I'm looking forward to the opening of the Prayer Room. It will go such a long way towards helping the people of this church -- and beyond -- grow into a living relationship with Jesus Christ.