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The question arose in a visit today.  “Why don’t more people speak out for change?”  It is a common cry for those who are activists, who have given their heart to a cause.  They believe everyone should feel the passion they feel for their cause - whether it be animal rights, the war in Iraq, Hillary, Obama, or McCain.

People are silent because they have passion fatigue.  They are told over and over to feel passionate about abortion, about the death penalty, about the poor.  And to be honest, the church does more than our part.  We are for good things right?  And you should feel passionate about all of them!

I do believe that people need to speak about their passions.  But let me share a decision I made some time ago that really helped me.  I realized there was a limit to the number of passions I could have.  So whatever I chose to be passionate about, had to be really important.

So I can’t tell you much about Florida’s recruiting class, though I love football.  I am no longer a news junkie - I can’t tell you the finer points of difference between Obama and Hillary.  I do care about HIV/AIDS orphans in Africa - but not as much as my passionate friend Robert Brown at Churches Together.  I love the ranch life in Florida, but I can’t keep up with all the changes in agriculture.

So here’s what I have decided to passionate about - taking my step toward Jesus (our church’s mission statement - what a coincidence!); my family; helping the local church.  That’s all.  I’m trying to not feel guilty that more isn’t on the list.  But three passions I can handle - especially because I know all three center on God.

So - what’s your passion?

A mother takes time to cook home-made chocolate chip cookies.
A mother stays up till the teenager comes home – and doesn’t kill him when he’s past curfew.
A mother builds a fort for her son out of couch cushions and a playhouse out of cardboard boxes for her daughter.
A mother goes to Walmart at 10:30 at night because a child just remembered something they needed for a school project that is due tomorrow.
A mother holds her daughter close when the daughter tells her that her husband has left her.
A mother prays for her children.
A mother drives a child to dance, to tennis lessons, to gymnastics, and to cheerleading practice.
A mother is the parent all the athletes say “Hi!” to on television.
A mother rubs her daughter’s back.
A mother sacrifices so her son can go on a trip with the school.
A mother irons the clothes of her teenagers (who don’t care) so they will look nice.
A mother fusses she will not make another bed – until she can’t stand it anymore and makes them anyway.
A mother gets up in the middle of the night to check on her baby.
A mother feels guilt because she can’t work, keep house, be there for every child’s school assembly, and make home-made pies (like her mother did).
A mother’s heart still hurts twenty years after she buries a child.
A mother will spend hours baking a birthday cake that is disassembled and devoured in seconds.
A mother laughs under her breath at her children when they have their own children.
A mother has a backbone that stiffens when a child rebels.
A mother is wise enough to talk about feelings dad wouldn’t touch.
A mother insists that a baby have cute clothes. 
A mother has her faults, but her children don’t need to point them out.
A mother needs her feet rubbed all through pregnancy.
A mother offers praise when her one year old says “Dada,” even if it hurts a little.
A mother forgets the pain of labor when she holds her baby for the first time.
A mother is wise enough not to ask for too many details about college life.
A mother cries at her daughter’s wedding – and her son’s.
A mother will look under the bed to make sure there aren’t any monsters there.
A mother is a grace gift from God.
         
To all the mothers out there – and to mine, in a bed in Lemon Grove, Happy Mother’s Day.

I’ve thought alot about my message Sunday - the need to encourage others through words, actions, prayer, and giving.  As I think through this, I realize this is not a major gift of mine - but it is something I can do.  I think God is reminding me to speak more often simple words of grace.

I know people have offered me a few phrases that have meant the world to me.  So God, help me also be an encourager!  Help me put my hand on someone’s shoulder and say the word that help them take their next step.

It’s Sunday night and I am dead tired.  Gina and Hannah have been gone a Sumter High choir tour - they return tomorrow, so I have been trying to get the house picked up and cleaned up. 

I am enjoying the “Games of Life” series - I hope you are.  Mark hasn’t told me yet about the response but I saw alot of folks turning in their commitments to be encouragers.

I think it was a new idea for many - that your giving could be an encouragement.  I hope you are thinking about who needs your encouragement, who you need to pray for, and how your giving can be used by God to encourage others.

The CME kids did a great job this Sunday night presenting their musical.  It may not all be polished, but I honor their effort.  There is something about the charm of kids and the truth of the gospel that helps you hear it in a whole new way.

Don’t miss next Sunday - Baby dedication, plus an over the top sermon illustration!

From my scripture gleanings today:

Ruth 1 - Ruth is one of my favorite books in scripture.  What’s not to love?  It’s a love story that begins with one woman’s tragedy and emptiness.  Her hurt blinds her to the greatest asset she has - God’s provision of a daughter-in-law who provides the definition of faithfulness.

Psalm92 - I felt a prompting to read this out loud.  Try this - you will hear things not normally heard - Like verse two - God’s love in the morning and faithfulness in the evening.  His love in the gift of a new day and his faithfulness in coming through another day - regardless of its trials and snares.

Mark 8:31-ff - Jesus will not tolerate a false definition of himself, even from a friend.  Just to make this clear, he tells them plainly -”You want to follow me?  Then get a cross.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-28 - Never forget that all authority and power belong to Jesus - even over death!  So are you following him?

When When people turn out for church in the rain, I am always humbled.  I know it is a lot of trouble.  There are times when I adjust my schedule because I just don’t want the hassle of being out in the weather.  So THANK YOU for honoring Jesus enough to get out of warm beds and comfortable houses to come and worship.

The Series “Games of Life” got off to a great start.  PLUS the baptism video of the students was awesome. 

The Volunteer Banquet was out of this world.  It is worth being a volunteer at ADBC just to be at this event.  If you missed it, the ministers did a parody of the David Letterman show - and Jock imitated me being a special guest.  I hate to say it, but he did a pretty good job on the gestures!

The great energy at ADBC these days isn’t good leadership or planning - it is God helping us be ready for our next step as a church!

Last night Nathan, our Student Pastor, baptized 12 students, outdoors, in a wading pool.  That’s cool, anytime that happens.  I know lots of churches where this kind of thing occurs.  But there were two other things that touched my heart.

First, we announced in Trulife (mid-week worship) that we were doing this.  And 80% of the adults from Trulife came down to cheer on the students who were being baptized.  When you see a senior adult applauding a student being baptized in a wading pool outdoors - that is way cool.

But I teared up when I saw my daughters embracing and celebrating with their friends.  They were jazzed about their friends taking their next step.  And it made me give God thanks for letting me pastor ADBC.

I learned to play cards from my mother.  She, in turn, had learned from her mother and father – there wasn’t much to do in Venus, Florida, when the sun went down.  The card games were times to relax, talk, snack, and have fun.  There was a lesson or two along the way as well:

• Pay attention to the game.  My brother was a master of distraction.  I was gullible.  He would call my attention to non-existent bugs or start telling stories about escaped convicts on the news to stoke my fears and distract me. 

How many times does Satan use the same tactic?  He plays on your fears and worries to distract you from what really matters.

• Remember what has happened.  This is still my biggest weakness playing a game.  I forget which card has been played and which card is still out there.

It helps to remember what God has done for you.  When you remember how He saw through a crisis in the past, you can remember to trust Him with the crisis of today.

• You got to know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em.  Okay, I stole that line from Kenny Rogers.  But the truth still holds.  Every game teaches you a little bit more about making a decision.  You learn risk and reward.  You learn that there is a time to push and a time to back away. 

Look at the ministry of Jesus and you learn an amazing reality – He did not fight every battle that could be fought.  He fought only the battles He knew He was meant to win.

• You’ve got to learn to lose.  I was a sore loser.  When I lost, I would throw my cards on the floor, cry, beat my fists on the floor and scream about how unfair it was, that my brother and mother always won.  Then I turned 40, and that didn’t seem to be right to act anymore.

Nobody gets everything they want.  Even God has to endure people He loves turning their back on Him.  Learn to lose.  Learn to let go.  Learn to move on to the next game.  There is something you can win at.

This Sunday, we start a new series of messages entitled “The Games of Life.”  God has some things to teach you – I hope you will come.