SUNDAY SERVICES:

A young husband I shall call John, with a wife and two young sons, was just diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer. It was inoperable, terminal, and he was given just six months at best to live. In spite of growing up in the church where his parents and wife were still active, he became indifferent about his faith in God. That was until he received this diagnosis and John became very angry with Him!

Have you ever driven I-87 through New York?  It’s called the Adirondack Northway, and, as highways go, its views are spectacular.

The summer after my junior year I worked as a nanny for a family with three children.  I even traveled with them to their summer home in the Adirondacks.  They drove with the older kids in the first car, and I drove behind them in their second car, with a sleeping preschooler in the back and a chocolate lab as my copilot.

I was nervous about caravaning to the Adirondacks.  Would I lose them along the way?  I purposely drove in silence (no music!) so I could concentrate.

As I drove along the Adirondack Northway, my thoughts were hardly quiet.  Huge peaks rose on either side of the highway.  Each curve in the road afforded a new, awe-inspiring vista.  I found myself whispering, “Oh wow,” to no one in particular.

And then I found myself speaking to someone...when I realized he was speaking to me.

When Gabby and I were a bit younger we were part of a homegroup that met at a house in a small town called Oviedo that was then, way out in the boonies. 

At one meeting we had a discussion about faith and then had refreshments.  On the topic of faith, I mentioned to a woman I met for the first time, that I had been without work for quite a long time, but that we knew that God was providing for us.  I would have preferred that God’s provision would come as a good-paying job, but I didn’t want to tell Him how to do His job! 

To drive the point home as, hopefully, an inspiration to her faith, I cheerfully told her that the only money we had was the change in my pocket. (Yes, people used to carry coins in their pockets back then.)  I pulled out the two quarters and showed them to her.

Stuck in a desk drawer, I found a dusty letter to the best man in our wedding, and my best friend ever, Tom Minifie.  We often spoke but seldom wrote.  So it was a find for me, even if the subject was odd: tithing. 

And tithing is about money.  You can’t get around it.  Someone once tried to make the case that it wasn’t, he said he tithed his time instead of his money.  ‘Good luck with that,’ I thought.  Reminds me of the picture of the person being baptized, who is all underwater but holding his wallet in his hand above the water.  ‘Good luck…’

I thought I was having a rough day until I read my emails.

My day began with a simple bike ride with Barbara.  Up ahead I saw a squirrel debating to dart in front of me.  He faked this way and then that way, and then came my way.  Thank goodness my front tire was a bit low, I thought, as I caught him mid-belly - “Ka-thump.”  Barb assured me he ran off without so much as a limp.  I still worry about internal injuries.

This summer my rising 10th-grade son, Levi, is teaching kids how to code.

When he was 9, a NASA engineer friend held a class for kids 8-12 who wanted to learn how to code using the program Scratch.  This program was designed by MIT to take the principles of coding and present them in a user-friendly way (almost like stackable Lego blocks).  Levi took to the program like white on rice.

Since then he has made all kinds of games, animations, and graphics with the program.  He loves it!  Now he is learning formal coding languages.  Learning Scratch sparked something in him—passion.

What do you do with a passion?

Rhythms. Our recent Sunday morning messages have been centered in how the good news of Jesus is meant to be shared rhythms of friendship and blessing. In “routine exchanges between friends and neighbors.” 

Who Is the Best?

Jesus was the best at doing this. He started with prayer. He intentionally listened and people were heard, known, and loved. He was always up for a good dinner party with friends and neighbors. He laid down his crown and put on an apron day in and day out while he walked this planet. And he was the best at sharing good news – whether tangibly or in word.  

Carl and I were at the Orlando Airport ready to board our plane for our adventure to the Grand Canyon. It was bustling, people everywhere all around, standing, some sitting on the floor and all eager to get going!

There was a dad, 2 moms and 2 toddlers next to us, and it was quite a scene! The adults were all glued to their phones, while the children were running around out of control, trying to open the emergency doors at our gate, climbing into the baggage carts, and screaming – parents didn’t seem to notice or care. Lucky the kids were still around when it was time to board!

Then, the announcement came…Flight to Chicago is delayed due to weather. UGH!  Three hours later we took off, and I thought: 1. Please may I NOT be sitting by this family on the plane, and, 2. If this is a preview of how our trip is going to go, perhaps we should go home now!

Well, glad we kept on going!  We had a great trip to the Grand Canyon via Chicago, then on to Amtrak, and our destination was the Grand Canyon – 32 hours on the train! Along with stunning scenery, we met some interesting folk, who each gave us a gift in sharing a story; allowing us a glimpse of God at work in His children. Here are just a few of the stories we heard last week…

When I was a young mom in my late 20’s, I was a church attender, but not involved in anything but my presence each week.  My son, Ian, was an infant and we frequented the nursery and a church pew. One day, out of the blue, I received a phone call at work. Fr. Andy, our Assistant Priest, wanted to meet me for lunch to discuss a problem. Curiously, I said “Okay.”