Buzzing Through the Bible

The day started out a little rough. I was running late already, but had to take a little extra time to clean up a nasty surprise left for me by one of the dogs I'm watching for the weekend. When I got to church, I realized I had left the video projector back in my office, so I quickly flew across town and ended up being even later for setup. But as I hurried, I clicked on the CD in my car just in time to hear Chris Rice croon "Untitled Hymn." That beautiful song quickly put everything back into perspective, and my eyes were tearing as I arrived back at the parking lot.

Then I enjoyed a terrific day at church. Steve did a wonderful job with the music, and the volume level in our auditorium seemed pumped up a bit. Our switch to EasyWorship made it easy to train someone to run the A/V, and I was free to just sing to the Lord with gusto. I also enjoyed taking our church family on a quick buzz through the entire Bible -- from Genesis to Revelation in a single sermon. It's great to pull back and get the big picture once in a while. And even as I shared with our folks at Hope, I found myself reveling in the thematic message of the Bible that seems to echo in every book: God really, really loves us. He desires us. He draws us to himself. And for all who respond to his love with faith and obedience, the result is unimaginable blessing. I also had a great time at our discussion of our church's purpose later in the morning even though the discussion drifted in a direction I hadn't anticipated (we started on the issue of "becoming all things to all people so that we might win some," from Paul's statements in 1 Corinthians 9, but we rabbit-trailed into the issues of Christian freedom vs. offending others vs. creating stumbling blocks). The folks at Hope are terrific, and I am so eager to see what God has in store for us.

The Alexanders invited me out to lunch and introduced me to salad bar and sweet tea of Country Cookin' restaurant. I really enjoy the spirit of peace that surrounds their family! Later in the day I was treated to dinner at McMahon's Irish Pub with the Turneys. It was a treat finally getting to know them and hear what God is doing in their lives. When I got home, Frankie Stamp and the kids were back from their camping trip and were heading out for ice cream at Carousels, so I joined them. On the way, we pulled over by the side of the road to say hello to some friends that were following us, and then another carload of Hope folks pulled over to join the quick conversation. A couple of times during dessert, we ran into a couple of different families that we knew. I found myself amazed at how connected I'm starting to feel with the folks of this town, and how easy it is to meet up with people when you least expect it. I love it!

It really has been a wonderful day! (The only thing that would have made it better would have been sharing it with Margo and the kids. Soon...)