At first he was right. I even preached three days after the “procedure.”

But disappeared, not quite so. My adventures have continued. I lunched one day and then felt like I had been kicked in the gut! Where is the refund line?

Right now, the rumblings have receded somewhat. The recovery process continues. I still do not fully trust food. And, I wouldn’t trust me if I were you. My abdominal adventures find a way to express themselves.

I have lost some weight however. I guess that is a good thing. I would not recommend the diet though.

Bottom line- unless you absolutely have to- hang on to that gallbladder God gave you. It is there for a purpose.

I enjoy WWII history along with a good adventure story and this book seemed to have it all. Actually it had much more. What I thought was just another ineresting book about another adventure-filled, semi-forgotten chapter in WWII turned out to be a “wow” story. The life story of Louis Zamperini is one of the most inspirational I have ever read.

He was a world-class runner on the verge of breaking the four-minute mile. He ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and even met Hitler. WWII erupted and like most in the “greatest generation” Louie enlisted and soon was flying over the Pacific in a bomber.  These parts of his life were thrilling in themselves, but it was after he found himself afloat for weeks on a rubber raft in the Pacific and later captured and imprisoned by the Japanese Army that his story really becomes riveting.

But that is not all. Louie’s story- if possible- is deeper than just this. It is what happens after he returns home- trying to cope and adjust- that impacted me the most.

If you like WWII history. If you enjoy true-life adventure stories. If you want to be inspired. If you want your faith reaffirmed, then read this book. Understand however, that Hillenbrand is graphic at times in detailing life, language, and suffering in POW camps.

And BTW. Louie is still alive and enjoying life. Check out the promo video below.

It was truly an experience forever etched in my mind.  It was December 24, 1995 and I was all alone. Not just alone, but desperately lonely with nothing but memories and tears to keep me company. To say that my first Christmas after my divorce was difficult would be an understatement. Twas not the season to be jolly for me. Being alone and lonely is a hidden heartache many feel during the holiday season.

It is my earnest prayer that no one go through a night like this, however.  At the time I thought it was something I had to endure- and endure alone, but I was wrong. My mistake was in not seeking the comfort and compassion of family and friends. No one has to be alone for the holidays. There are much better alternatives.

• Surround yourself with support. Seek out those who care among family, friends, and church family. Don’t even wait to be asked. There are many who would welcome in another person in their Christmas celebration. Just let others know and seek them out. Do not suffer in silence.
• Focus on giving. Give of yourself during the holidays. Volunteer to serve the needy through a church or civic group. Proactively spread the goodwill of the season. It is amazing how serving others also blesses the server! It is reflective of the season and of who Christ wants us to be (Philippians 2:2-4).
• Look ahead, not back.  Paul gave this divine advice a long time ago (Philippians 3:13-14) and it is still valuable counsel. While it may not be possible to remove past experiences of loss and pain, balancing them with the anticipation of what God has next in store for our lives offers great encouragement. Regardless of our past, God has a bright future in store for us.
• Find comfort in God’s presence. Think of the traditional meaning of Christmas. God sent Christ for us. In him we are never alone. He remains “our ever present help in time of need” (Psalm 46:1). Allow him to bring you the peace and goodwill of heaven during the challenges of the holiday season.

We all go through our own process after loss and heartbreak. Our challenge is to allow Christ to go through it with us- to lean upon him and his people to help soothe our grief and loneliness. Allow this to happen during the holidays also. I finally did. I learned that I do not have to be alone on the holidays. Neither do you.  Christmas can be merry again.

Be strong in the Lord!

This is the label now used to describe our times. Where once our culture was framed by a general allegiance to Christian values and ethics-  it no longer is. This is probably not a shocker to most of us.  The evidence of this surrounds. Headlines blurt it out daily.

Now I could launch into a discussion explaining how this might not necessarily be as great a negative as it appears. I could explore the strong and growing similarities between our century and the first one and then point out how the church flourished in that pre-Christian era. That is indeed an interesting discussion.

But for now- here are some brief and general thoughts on how we got to be “post-Christian.”

I can’t really find many.

I do not want to rehearse any of those events. I am still thinking about the overwhelming outpouring of support demonstrated by those touched by this tragedy. God’s people rose up and surrounded Les, his boys and their family in truly tremendous ways. Darkness struck an awful blow, but Light powerfully responded. God was and is at work among his people. The Ferguson and Brown families are not and will not be alone in their grief.

To be sure- it is their (and to a lesser degree our) time for mourning. Few among us can really know the extent of their grief. There is really no way to compare it. It is journey they must undertake through the edges of the “valley of the shadow of death.”  Faithfully- I believe- they will take it. Faithfully God and his staff will be there to comfort and guide them-to eventually find peace beside still waters.

It is a journey from mourning to morning.

It will happen for each in their own time (and God’s). It will likely remain a bittersweet process. Perhaps it will not be fully complete until an eternal reunion, but one day it will be complete.

Les, I am praying for you- for strength on this journey.

Oh, and one more thing- no matter the depth of darkness and the damage it creates, it will never triumph over Light.

Yesterday, unimaginable tragedy invaded the life of the Ferguson family in Gulfport, MS. The life here of my good friend, Les Ferguson, Jr. will never again be filled with the sweet presence of his wife, Karen, and son, Cole. Evil in the form of a twisted soul violently took their lives.

Unbelievable. Totally. Yet true.

I’ll confess. I do not understand this. Why was anger and violence visited upon such a loving, gentle Christian family- a family dedicated to gracefully serving God? It all seems so desperately out-of-context. So– unbelievable.  How do we even go about processing such a tragedy?

I can offer up those Bible verses. I am well acquainted with the theology developed to address suffering and evil. It is solid. It is reliable. In the detached world of hermenuetics, it all makes sense. I believe it.  But we don’t live in that world.  Yesterday again reaffirmed this harsh reality.

I talked briefly with Les yesterday afternoon. Well, not really. I had no words, nor did he. I had no Bible verses to make this better. It is senseless. I am angry that Karen and Cole were taken away like this- under these circumstances. I am hurting with Les and his boys left to deal forever with the aftermath. I cannot imagine their grief.

I do believe that God is at work within this tragedy. I do believe that his Spirit immediately began ministering to Les in ways beyond our ability to grasp. I do believe that eventually all injustice will be met with God’s justice and eradicated. I do believe that Cole will be forever whole and happy. I do believe that Karen and her indomitably sweet spirit is alive and well in the presence of God. I do believe.

Lord, I just need help with my unbelief. I need your grace as I process the pervasive nature of evil. The purveyors of evil seem to continually win the day. Yesterday brought that home again to me in a personal way. This I do not understand. I am reminded of the pleading question of the martyrs in Revelation 6:10, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 

God, “I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

And Holy Father, please continue to wrap your arms tightly around Les, his boys, and their entire extended family. I believe you remain the answer to their grief.

And one more request Father: Come, Lord Jesus!

Actually, I am now the new preaching minister for the Levy Church of Christ in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  God works in amazing and surprising ways and did so by opening up the door to me for this opportunity. For over sixty years Levy has been an active kingdom presence in her community. I feel blessed to join the ranks of those who have preached before me and I look forward to the wonderful adventures God has planned for my ministry here. By God’s grace, I think we are off to a good start.

As I get settled in here, my mind still drifts back to my family in Pensacola at the Gateway Church of Christ. Regardless of where God may lead me, I will always cherish my time there. This church loved me and my family and supported and encouraged my ministry in tremendous ways. They are family and I love them. My prayers are earnest in asking God to bring them a special servant to minister with them in the Word. It was not at all easy to depart, but I felt that perhaps they needed a new voice. I will be excited to see what God has in store for this sweet church next. I expect it to be terrific.

I have some pretty high expectations at Levy too, but they have much more to do with the heart of this family than with me.  I see an incredible and grace-oriented servant spirit saturating this church and an encouraging vision for letting God work in powerful ways.  From every thing I have observed so far, the Levy family is fully committed to being a church who serves her community. The direction and extent of the ministries here clearly demonstrate that. Talk about exciting!  This desire to be a church of the community stems from a heart for reaching people for Christ- both here and abroad.  I am truly humbled to now be a part of this family- my family at Levy.

I still do not think Levy is fully aware of what they have in their new preacher. I have yet to introduce the theology of country music into my sermons or to quote Barney Fife!

For now, I am just enjoying the adventures of a new preacher!

Stan has spent his life, his energies and his heart serving God and his people. He preached at Woodward Park for several years during which they realized incredible growth. Stan is one of the best evangelists I have ever known. Over the course of his ministry he has been a visionary and demonstrated almost indefatigable energy for the sake of the kingdom. More recently he has served as the preaching minister for the Lassen Street congregation in Vallejo, California. I had the privilege again to see Stan there in May as he helped his church host a wonderful workshop. His smile was as bright as ever, but his body was weakened by an ongoing struggle with colon cancer.

As a result of this disease Stan is having to retire from active ministry. While the prognosis looks good, he simply is not able to continue serving at the level he is accustomed. Like many other ministers who spent their life emptying themselves for others, Stan never thought much about retiring and now is faced with some financial challenges as he makes this transition.  The Vallejo church has committed to assist Stan and his wife, Sherrie, but because of costs related to health care and insurance needs still remain.

Word is spreading among friends of Stan. Our brother needs our help. The Woodward Park church has agreed to process any assistance by individuals through the “Williams Assistance Fund” at this address: 7886 North Millbrook Avenue, Fresno, CA 93720; attention John Ed Clark, elder. The Sherrod Avenue church in Florence, Alabama (where Stan’s son, Kerry preaches) is processing assistance by congregations at this address: 1207 Sherrod Avenue, Florence, AL 35630; attention Kerry Williams, minister.

Stan is a mighty soldier of the cross and I know that regardless of whatever challenges he now faces- he will face them with strong and unwavering faith and with a smile that cannot be diminished. I also know that others will be blessed everywhere he may journey. That is just the way it is with Stan.

This is the thirteenth summer for Lithuania Christian Camp. The evidence of the power of this ministry was all around us during June 27-July 2 as most of the Lithuanian counselors had first been campers in years past. As we listened to the current campers speak on Saturday night of how meaningful the camp was to them in bringing God into their lives, it is not difficult to imagine some of them becoming Christians and Christian counselors in the future.

Of course the camp ministry is an extension of the work of the Vilnius Church of Christ (for many more photos go to their facebook page here). Your continued support, prayers for this body and for the camp ministry is always appreciated.

Here are some photos and a wonderful video put together by those in the Vilnius church:

Bible Class

Morning Blast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

smiles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crafts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hugs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chariot races

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saying Goodbye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following is a story my nine-year old daughter- Taylor- wrote as an assignment in her third grade class. She has quite the imagination. Just thought I would share.

One afternoon I was eating hot “wings” and watching a show about how to use fairy “wings.” My mom walked in the room yelling, “Honey, are you going to write your speech or “wing” it?”

All of a sudden I felt a strange tickle on my back. It felt like my back was being ripped open! I looked at my mom, she was staring at me in terror and then to my surprise she let out an earsplitting scream! She took me to my room, put me in front of the mirror and I saw what had happened. I had sprouted silvery, white fairy wings!

“Do you need to go to the doctor?” said mom. “I’ll take myself,” I said. But I didn’t go to the doctor. I went to the park. I was going to have so much fun! I flew in front of children and scared them to death. One of them started crying. I flew up into the clouds and made voices that told people’s future. I made one man look as mad as a wet cat! As I was laughing, I forgot to flap my wings so I started falling. I fell into a pond.

When I got out I tried to fly, but my wings were too wet and I never left the ground. I didn’t want to go home and get into trouble, so I rested by a tree. A few minutes later my wings dried. I flew around tall buildings and hills. But soon I got out of control, I started going really high and then diving lower and lower. I bumped into buildings, got bumps, bruises and many scratches.

I wanted it all to stop, so I tried as hard as I could to go toward the pond. It worked and when I was hovering over it my wings stopped flapping. I fell into the pond and when I got out my wings were gone! I went home and got grounded for lying to my mom. But at least I know, I never want to grow wings again!