"Free to Be Patient" Romans 8: 18-30

Proverbs 25: 15 --" With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break bones."

I find it fascinating that the theme of patience in the biblical text leans toward how we deal with the presence of evil or how we handle it when the people doing bad things seem to be succeeding.  Almost as if patience is a necessary response to jealousy.

thinking about kairos and chronos:  In the New Testament kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts (e.g. Mark 1.15, the kairos is fulfilled). Kairos (used approximately 81 times in the NT) seems to be an indeterminate time, a "moment" or a "season," whereas another Greek term chronos (used 54 times) refers to a specific amount of time, such as a day or an hour (Acts 13.18, 27.9, etc.).

Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. While the former refers to chronological or sequential time, the latter signifies a time lapse, a moment of indeterminate time in which everything happens. What is happening when referring to kairos depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative, permanent nature. Kairos also means weather in both ancient and modern Greek. The plural, καιροί (kairoi (Ancient Gk. and Mod. Gk.)) means the times.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kairos

Hard to be patient; hard to preach patience in a world of instant communication and instant gratification.

Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We would like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new. And yet, it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability — and that it may take a very long time. Above all, trust in the slow work of God, our loving vine-dresser." -Pierre Teilhard de Chardin From Sallie Sampsell Watson’s FB page

Ann Lamott: “I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in the dark; the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.” (bird by Bird, xxiii)

Patience/God’s time: It was a beautiful spring day, and a sense of peace stayed with me as I left
the cathedral on Easter Monday morning. I paused for a moment on top of the
steps leading to the avenue, now crowded with people rushing to their jobs.
Sitting in her usual place inside a small archway was the old flower lady.
At her feet, corsages and boutonnieres were parading on top of a spread-open newspaper.

The flower lady was smiling, her wrinkled old face alive with some inner joy. I started down the stairs--then on an impulse, turned and picked out a flower.

As I put it in my lapel, I said, "You look happy."

"Why not?' she answered. "Everything is good."

She was dressed so shabbily and seemed so very old that her reply started me. "You've been sitting here for many years now, haven't you? And always smiling. You wear your troubles well."

"You can't reach my age and not have troubles," she replied. "only it's like Jesus and Good Friday...." She paused for a moment.

"Yes?" I prompted

"Well, when Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, that was the worst day for the whole world. When I get troubles I remember that, and then I think of what happened only three days later-Easter and our Lord rose from the dead. So when things go wrong, I've learned to wait days and somehow everything gets much better."

She smiled good-bye, but her words still follow me whenever I think I have
troubles... "Give God a chance to help...wait three days."

[Original author unknown to me]

Reflections on "Free to be Humble" Ephesians 4:1-3; Matthew 11: 25-30

For reasons I can seldom explain, the sermon in the Chapel went better than than the sermon in the Sanctuary.  One would think that the second time through would be better, but sometimes it is not.  

This sermon had several illustrations (one rather long one), which some people seem to like.  The sermon probably had too little analysis.

“Free to Be Humble” May 24, 2014; Easter series; FPC, Troy; Ephesians 4: 1-3; Matthew 11: 25-30

Introduction:  "O Lord it's hard to be humble. When you're perfect in every way. Can't wait to get up each morning. Get better looking every day. To know me is to love me, I must be one heckuva man. O Lord it's hard to be humble, but I'm trying as hard as I can."

Perfection would stand in the way of being humble for most of us.

If you are perfect, no need for God's saving grace.

If you are perfect, the resurrection of Christ is of little consequence to you.

But, for those of us who are imperfect, the resurrection unbinds us from our imperfection; the resurrection frees us to be the people God desires us to be, the people we want to be.

Move 1: Resurrection frees us to be humble

a. Because of the resurrection, we do not have to spend our lives trying to prove ourselves.

              1. Do not have to be king or queen of the mountain.

2. Do not have to put others down in an effort to step on them to elevate ourselves.

               3. Free us to live like Christ – full of humility.

b. Jesus offers the image of how he works by inviting us to share his yoke.

1. The yoke is what links two oxen together so that they can work in tandem in the fields.

2. They can share the burden of the plowing together.

3. Not one superior ox leading the way and the inferior one following behind, but the two sharing the the work.

4. Jesus, the son of God, invites us to share his yoke, which means he has chosen to join with us in our burdens.

5. he willing joins with us.

6. Only the humble in heart would choose to join with us.

c. When Paul writes to the early church in Ephesus, he notes that one of the characteristics necessary for the early church to survive is humility.

1. they need to work together to share the burden of the tasks to which God calls them.

2. the church s about shared ministry, not one person out in front telling everyone what to do.

3. the burden is manageable, if the members who join together.

4. The church needs humble members as they seek to serve the one who is “gentle and humble in heart.”

Move 2: Examples of humility

a. Biblical example: Moses

1. Still a leader.

2. A strong leader in fact.

3. The book of Numbers describes Moses as the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3).

4. Links himself with God – and serves the people.

b. USA Today article for their week-end edition: 2^nd Lt. John Bob – posthumously awarded the medal of honor for his actions on march 30, 1967 in battle in Vietnam. A mortar round severed his leg, but he used his ammunition belt as a tourniquet and jammed his leg into the ground to help staunch the bleeding while leaned up against a tree providing covering fire for the evacuation. In addition to his bravery, I was struck by the description of him. He was not a gung-ho officer who was going to get his men killed. He was “quiet, competent and cared deeply about his men” (Jim Michaels, USA Today, “Remembering a remarkable hero,” May, 23, 2014, 2a)

c. I am reminded of Jack Stofer the chair of the committee that called me to serve First Presbyterian Church, Mt. Sterling, KY.

1. I don't think I ever saw him in anything but khaki work pants and a khaki work shirt, except of course on Sundays when he would roll into church in some old suit.

2. He had a beat up old car that seemed to be held together by the rust; the car seldom got out of second gear as he wandered around town and out to his farm.

2.  He didn't have much money.  Loved to farm and raise cattle and was still doing it late in his life, even when he knew he would not make much money, but he loved to work with the earth and watch lambs and calves grow.

3. he raised plants from the seeds, then would bring a few to our house, plant them, and then water them,take care of them, and then celebrate the wonderful tomatoes Leslie grew.

3. He was at church every week sitting on the second row, center section.

4. He gave at least a dollar every week in the offering plate in case some child was watching him -- he wanted to make sure kids knew that giving back to God was important.

5. One week at church we tried the idea of having people announce prayer concerns, and one of the women announced he was having prostate surgery, and I thought he was going to die right there on the second row of church.

6. You would hardly notice him in a crowd; by the time I was there he would be the older guy who blended into the crowd, never drawing attention to himself; I imagine earlier in life he'd been the younger man who blended into the crowd never drawing attention to himself.

7. he'd been born and baptized in the same church; he could fit in with any group in the church because he had no pretensions and had no concern except for the church, its ministry and its members. No ego. He was trusted by all groups in the church because they knew he had no agenda-- just what was best for the church in its ministry.

8. . If Leslie and I had had a son, his name would have had Jack in in somewhere.

9. When he died, Leslie and went back for his funeral and the minister's text was Jesus calling Peter the rock and which the church was built, and the minister's sermon was about what it was like to have Jack, the rock of the church, die.

He became the rock by serving God and serving neighbor; he became the rock by being humble in heart.

Conclusion: The resurrection frees us to be humble.

"Free to be Humble" Ephesians 4: 1-3; Matthew 11: 25-30

The sermon series continues reflecting on how the resurrection free us to be....humble this week.

1. I keep singing to myself the song, "O Lord it's hard to be humble"

2. I am reminded of Jack Stofer the chair of the committee that called me to serve First Presbyterian Church, Mt. Sterling, KY.  I don't think I ever saw him in anything but khaki work pants and a khaki work shirt, except of course on Sundays when he would roll into church in some old suit.

    a. He didn't have much money.  Loved to farm and raise cattle and was still doing it late in his life, even when he knew he would not make much money, but he loved to work with the earth and watch lambs grow.

   b.  He had a beat up old car that seemed to be held together by the rust; the car seldom got out of second grear as he wandered aroudn town and out to his farm.

   c.  One week at church we tried the idea of having people announce prayer concerns, and one of the women announced he was having prostate surgery, and I thought he was going to die right there on the second row of church.

   d. He gave at least a dollar every week in the offering plate in case some child was wathcing him -- he wanted ot make sure kids knew that giving back to God was important.

   e.  When he picked me up from the airport in his wife's car, not quite as beat-up, but still not a car anyone I know would aspire to own, we went to lunch, then he announced that he usually napped after lunch so it was proably best if he didn't drive.  The other woman didn't want to drive, so there I was driving his car, wondering what I had gotten myself into with this committee.

   f.  he raised palnts from the seeds, then would bring a few to our house, plant them, and then water them,take care of them, and then celebrate the wonderful tomatoes Leslie grew.

   f.  You would hardly notice him in a crowd; he'd been born and baptized in the same church; he could get fit in with any group in the church because he had no pretensions and had no concern excpet for the church, its ministry and its members.  No ego.

    g.  If Leslie and I had had a son, his name would have had Jack in in somewhere.

   h. When he died, Leslie and went back for his funeral and the minister's text was Jesus calling Peter the rock and which the church was built, and the minister's sermon was about what it was like to have Jack, the rock of the church, die.

3.  The book of Numbers describes Moses as the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3).

Reflections on "Free to Forgive"

I thought the sermon was solid, but it needed a good illustration.  Most of the illustrations or stories if ran across in preparation for the sermon seemed a little trite or "chicken soupish," which did not fit the power of the two Gospel stories we read.  AFter the service, however, a visitor (a member's grandmother who was in for graduation) reminded me of the Amish church community that forgave the man who killed five young girls at school.  Here is a brief snippet about it:

On the day of the shooting, a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls was heard warning some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, "We must not think evil of this man."^[15] Another Amish father noted, "He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God."^[16] Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts."^[15]

A Roberts family spokesman said an Amish neighbor comforted the Roberts family hours after the shooting and extended forgiveness to them.^[17] Amish community members visited and comforted Roberts' widow, parents, and parents-in-law. One Amish man held Roberts' sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him.^[18] The Amish have also set up a charitable fund for the family of the shooter.^[19] About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral,^[18] and Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, was one of the few outsiders invited to the funeral of one of the victims.^[20]

Marie Roberts wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their forgiveness, grace, and mercy. She wrote, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you."^[20]The Amish do not normally accept charity, but due to the extreme nature of the tragedy, donations were accepted. Richie Lauer, director of the Anabaptist Foundation, said the Amish community, whose religious beliefs prohibit them from having health insurance, will likely use the donations to help pay the medical costs of the hospitalized children.^[21]

Some commentators criticized the quick and complete forgiveness with which the Amish responded, arguing that forgiveness is inappropriate when no remorse has been expressed, and that such an attitude runs the risk of denying the existence of evil,^[22][23][24] while others were supportive.^[25][26] Donald Kraybill and two other scholars of Amish life noted that "letting go of grudges" is a deeply rooted value in Amish culture, which remembers forgiving martyrs including Dirk Willems and Jesus himself. They explained that the Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong, but rather constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful.^{[27][28] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish_school_shooting)}

That illustration would have exemplified both points I made about forgiveness and really fit the sermon well.  It didn't make the sermon, but at least blog readers can reflect on it now.

"Free to Forgive" "Free to Forgive" John 20: 19-23; Matthew 18:23-35; May 18, 2014, FPC, Troy; Easter Series

Intro: The sermon series continues on how the resurrection frees us to be the persons God calls us to be, the person we want to be.

Last week we reflected on how God forgives us. This week we build on that and reflect on how we are free to forgive others.

Lots of sermon topics on forgiveness

a. Holding on does not let us move on with our own lives.

b. Not forgiving hurts us more than it hurts others.

100. We could reflect on the question of can we forgive without forgetting.

This morning the sermon is grounded in the two passages of Scripture we read.

Move 2: First of all, the Gospel of Matthew reminds us that we forgive because God has forgiven us.

a. Last week we heard Jesus offer the word problem – who would be more grateful, the person whose debt of 50 denarii is canceled or the person who has a 500 denarii debt forgiven.

1. Answer is fairly obvious. The one who owes more, is more grateful.
   2. Thus the sinner in the story is overwhelmed that God has forgiven her.

b. this week we hear Jesus telling another story about canceling debt.

1. the master forgives his servant's debt, but then the servant does not forgive the fellow servant who owes him money.

2. When that master discovers how the servant he forgave has withheld forgiveness from another, the master takes back the forgiveness of debt and thrown the servant in jail.

3. The point is made in harsh terms – if you have been forgiven, you must then forgive others.

100. Not a subtle story with lots of nuances – very direct and to the point: God has forgiven us; we must respond by forgiving others.

1. As some of you know, at weddings I often share the Old Jewish about God sitting around before creation looking forward to what is going to unfold.

2. God looks at how humans will act and knows that we will sin and turn against God and one another.

3. so God decides before creating to forgive us.

4. So too, I invited couples making their marriage vows to forgive one another in advance.

5. Why? In part because that's what it takes to have a lasting marriage. But also because if we look to God to see how God lives out loving us, we see God forgiving again and again and again.

WE forgive because God has forgiven us.

Move 3: Our second story from the Gospel of John reminds us that people of the resurrection compels us to forgive.

a. Do you see what's at stake in this story?

1. Christ has been resurrected and the disciples have fled and are hiding behind locked doors.
2. Jesus arrives in their midst somehow coming through the closed doors.
3. He has shown them his hands and his side, presumably so that they can see the scars from his hanging on the cross.
4. This is a powerful moment – I suspect Christ can ask those followers gathered there to do anything and they will agree to do it.
5. What is the first command of the resurrected Christ? Forgive others.
   b. IN that command, we realize what is at stake in forgiveness.
   1. Christ will soon ascend to heaven and his followers will be the body of Christ on earth.
   2. Foundational to being the body of Christ is forgiving others.
   3. We may forgive because it makes us feel better; but we must forgive if we want to be the body of Christ and serve the world as Christ did.
   4. This high expectation Christ has for his followers is only possible in light of the resurrection.

b. Forgiving someone opens up the new possibilities.

1. When God raises Christ from the dead, a world of possibilities are opened up for us.
2. As the Reformed theologian Karl Barth might describe it – in the resurrection, we discover God's answer is “Ye3s” in Christ, instead of the “No” the world gives us.
3. When we forgive, we change the conversation from “NO” to “Yes.”
4. Perhaps you have seen the musical Les Miserables? There is that moment when Jean Valjean steals the candlesticks, and the priest looks at him and forgives him. But there is some­thing in that moment even more significant, I think. The priest looks at the man and believes that he can be better than his past indicates; that he can become new. He sings:

But remember this, my brother.

See in this some higher plan.

You must use this precious silver

To become an honest man.

5. In that moment, the priest had to look really deep to see that possibility in Jean Valjean. But to see the possibility of an honest man in a thief is an aspect of forgiveness. (Rev. Thom Are, Jr. Forgive Us as We Forgive, sermon preached at Village Presbyterian Church, July 14, 2013. Prairie Village, Kansas)

6. When we forgive, we breathe hope and new life into the situation.

7. In other words, we put the situation in the context of resurrection and open the door to new possibilities.

Conclusion: Imagine a world where forgiveness abounds. That’s the world to which the resurrected Christ calls us.

"Free to Forgive" John 20: 19-23; Matthew 18:23-35

The sermon series continues on how the resurrection frees us to be the persons God calls us to be, the person we want to be.

Last week we reflected on how God forgives us.  This week we build on that and reflect on how we are free to forgive others.

1.  Note that this powerful passage from John comes after the resurrection of Christ.  I'm not sure how to interpret this passage, but I do know that Jesus' high expectations of us to forgive can only be possible after the resurrection!

2.  I don't think that Jesus will withhold forgiveness from those people we do not forgive, but he is telling the community of believers that if they want to do the work of the resurrected Christ, it begins with the task of forgiveness.  We may forgive because it makes us feel better, but we must forgive if we want to be the body of Christ and serve the world as Christ did.

3. I do not view very many video clips tagged on Facebook, but I was curious about this one when a minister whom I went to high school with posted it on his FB page.  Turns out it is a series of people holding cardboard signs like "they bullied me." or "they killed my daughter." After showing everyone's signs dictating how they had been hurt, everyone was seen again with the other side of the signs that read that had words of forgiveness.  A rather powerful video clip.  http://gracevine.christiantoday.com/video/when-the-father-flips-the-sign-over-you-will-be-just-amazed-i-bet-this-will-change-you-1291

I would love to read your story of about forgiving someone.

"Free to Be Forgiven" Luke 7: 36-50; Psalm 51

My apologies for not posting sermon "stuff" last Thursday.  My schedule got a little out of whack, and I did not put thoughts on paper until Saturday night.

I'm not sure I've ever preached the Lukan passage before, but what a rich story with all sorts of different nuances.  I would love to preach the sermon again and focus only on her radical, extravagant gratitude.  Or, after talking with Mario Bolivar (soon to be ordained) who studied this passage for a paper, I would like to explore household codes and how they were violated in this story.

All in all, I liked the sermon.  Because mood in the service was somber due to a pastoral issue greatly impacting the congregation, I did not get a good feel for how the congregation received the sermon.

As I mentioned in the Chapel service to the confirmand being presented for membership, if we all could understand and accept God's grace, it would impact so much of what we do.  too often, we seem to be acting out of our need to prove ourselves.

the reference to Dr. Lose's article might be a footnote for the whole sermon.  Although I had been working on the sermon and had a loose outline, when I read his article (this is his favorite passage) the question, "what kind of woman is she?" came to mind (he may have asked the question in the article), and that question gave the shape the sermon.

"Free to Be Forgiven" Psalm 51; Luke 7: 36-50; FPC, Troy, 5/11/14; Easter series

Introduction: Resurrection sets us free to be the person God calls us to be; the person we want to be.

Forgiveness – this week we reflect on God forgiving us; next week we reflect on how forgive others.

Move 1: What kind of woman is this?

a. The kind of woman who willingly inserts herself where she should not be.

1. Jesus is at dinner with some Pharisees.
2. Think dinner party with with important people gathering to eat together and talk together.
3. The Pharisees are the leaders of the Jewish church and community.
4. Jesus is an up and coming prophet who has been inspiring the crowds the crowds.
5. Maybe this is a dinner party to get to know one another, learn a little bit about who Jesus is.
6. Men's only dinner. Not the place for women.
7. Certainly not this women.

b. She is the kind of woman who knows she is a sinner.

1. She is, as the narrative discloses, a sinner.

2. We don’t know the precise nature of her sin.
3. Tradition has assumed she's a prostitute, but the text does not tell us that.
4. Presumably a first-century woman could sin in ways beyond prostitution.

5. Public sinner – the Pharisees seem to know she is a sinner.
6. Probably others in town have heard the rumors.

c. She is the kind of woman who willingly bets her life on Jesus.

1. She recognizes who she is.
2. She recognizes who Jesus is and what he has to offer her – he can free her from her sins and bring her new life.
3. She cannot restrain herself.
4. She must give herself over to the one who has the power to forgive.
5. The way the text reads, we might assume that she has met Jesus previously and already heard the good news of God's saving grace because here she is lavishly washing Jesus' feet with her tears of joy.
6. Her life is transformed by the one whose feet she washes, the one who brings here forgiveness.

Move 2: Shift to Simon. Does Simon know what kind of woman this is?

a. Maybe Simon is also a bit upset that she has interrupted his dinner party.

1. WE do not know.
2. But we do know that Simon, like the others, knows that she is a sinner.

3. He knows not only that she is a sinner, but that Jesus should not be allowing himself to be touched by this sinful woman.

b. Simon speaks to himself about this sinful woman a bit to loudly.

1. Or maybe his unheard words are revealed by the look on his face.
2. Or maybe he intentionally spoke loud enough so that Jesus could hear him.

3. Regardless, Jesus hears Simon and engages him in conversation.

100. Jesus tells Simon a story about debtors and creditors and Simon learns something else about the kind of woman she is.
     1. Jesus asks Simon that if one debtor owed 50 denarii and the other owed 500, who would be more grateful to have their debt canceled.
     2. Rather simple mathematical story problem.
     3. sometimes kids have trouble with story problems in math class, but Simon does not have trouble with this one.
     4. the debtor who owed tens times as much, the one with the greater debt, will love the creditor more.

500. and in his answer Simon reveals what he may not want to hear.
     1. this woman, this person who has interrupted his dinner party, this sinner is also the kind of woman who has been forgiven by Christ for her sins.
     2. not only the kind of woman who has been forgiven, but the kind of woman who is overwhelmed by the forgiveness and responds graciously and dramatically by washing Jesus' feet with her tears.

Move 3: Does Jesus know what kind of woman this is?

a. Jesus, apparently, has no doubt about who this woman is.

1. she is the kind of person for whom Christ will soon die on the cross.
2. She is a sinner – one of those whom he has come to save.
   b. Jesus knows her, knows her better than she does.
   1. Jesus knows her better than Simon and the others know her.
   2. The see her as a sinner.
   3. Jesus sees her as the woman who has been forgiven.

Move 4: What kind of person are you?

a. Willing to admit you are a sinner?

1. Maybe this is not true of you, but I find that in myself and sometimes in others, when we talk about being sinners, most are quick to acknowledge they are sinners.
2. And then we quickly move on to rationalizing our own sins.
3. Then pivoting to point out the sins of everyone else we know.
4. Like Simon, we are pretty sure that there is a sinner among, but it's somebody else.
5. The resurrection of Christ sets us free to be forgiven – of course, if you do not need forgiveness, than it does not matter!

5. Are you Simon or are you the woman who openly acknowledges her sins and turns to receives God's forgiveness through Christ?

b. Are you willing to accept God's forgiveness.

1. Donald Miller, writes about his struggle to accept God's forgiveness: “I would hear about grace, read about grace, and even sing about grace, but accepting grace is an action I could not understand. It seemed wrong to me not to have to pay for my sin, not to feel guilty about it or kick myself around. More than that, grace did not seem like the thing I was looking for. It was too easy. I wanted to feel as though I earned my forgiveness, as though God and I were buddies doing favors for each other…I love to give charity, but I don’t want to be charity. This is why I have so much trouble with grace.” (Blue Like Jazz, Donald Miller, 83-84)

2. It's hard to believe that God sent Christ to save you.
3. Some days it is hard to believe that God would care about us.
4. Mother's Day – give thanks for our mothers; their forgiveness.
5. Magnify that to Christ – the one who chooses to die for you.
   conclusion: What kind of person are you? The kind of person whom Christ dies? The kind of person whom God forgives

(http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=2601; Forgiveness & Gratitude; Sunday, June 09, 2013 David Lose)

"Free to Witness" John 1: 4-6

This week the confirmands profess their faith in worship.  We are thinking about how in light of the resurrection, we are free to witness to the world and profess our Faith.

1. Tim Tebow tells the story of his profession of faith. “but when he went to his father, who was a missionary and preacher, he found himself frustrated by questions his father asked him about the Gospel – questions posed, Tebow recalls, ‘to make sure I was not taking this decision lightly.’ Finally, young Tebow went to his mother. ‘I want to ask Jesus to come into my heart,’ he told her. ‘I’m ready to be saved. I tried with Dad, but he’s just too hard.’ Mother and son prayed together, and the confession of faith was made. To celebrate, the family went to Epcot. Time, Jon Meacham, “Tebow’s Testimony: What his faith on the field means for the future of American Evagelicalism” (40), 1/16/2012.

2.  I found this a fascinating practice of the church that has just called our former PYC coordinator to be their Associate Pastor:  Worship is at 9:30 AM every Sunday at 97 East Genesee! As you approach the Church (sun, rain or snow - worship, weddings or memorials) the Pastor is out front, greeting and welcoming the Village. He welcomes and receives those coming to worship God, as well as greeting and blessing those going past. In the words of our Pastor: "People have made an effort to come to the Church, it seems the least we can do, to go out and welcome one another inside." Several new members have commented, "The Pastor greeted us each Sunday as we went by, finally when we were looking for a Church, we knew we were welcome here." The Church has ample off-street parking, ramped access to the air-conditioned Sanctuary, an elevator to all classroom, meeting and fellowship spaces.  http://www.skaneatelespresbyterian.org/index.php?title=Welcome%21