This past weekend was full. Today is really the processing of the many emotions left over.
It began Saturday with Angel Food at our church. Angel Food is the supplemental food program our church participates in. (Find out more about our church's part and the national ministry.) We put food in the hands of over 300 families. What was truly special is that the distribution was accomplished by a mixture of St. Andrew's church folks and good hearted people who have no formal connection with our church. Yet you couldn't tell the difference. Some of the St. Andrew's folks were wearing our custom t-shirts, but not everyone. There was a great spirit and connection between the people working. I couldn't ask for more meaningful expression of the kingdom of God than what was happening Saturday morning. God bless you St. Andrew's and Angel Food volunteers.
Saturday afternoon was Nicholas' (my 7 year old) birthday. His party was at Tulsa's Incredible Pizza Company. If you are not familiar with this, allow me to put it this way. It is Showbiz/Chuck E. Cheese pizza on a mixture of steroids and amphetamines with a coffee chaser. Nick had invited 10 kids to his party, which was okay. But it was the last Saturday of Tulsa County School Spring Break. It was Cancun for the under 12 crowd in there. But the chaos was replaced by a fantastic Dad-Sons experience. I took both boys (Andrew is 3 1/2) to Toys-R-Us for the obligatory spending of birthday cash bounty. It was enough to make a Daddy cry - Nick walked out with over $100 worth of Star Wars toys.
Sunday was a first for my time at St. Andrew's - our first baptism. We baptized one of the cutest kids I have ever met. He was surrounded by family and the church. We all came together to commit to raising him up in the faith. It was a great feeling to place the water on his head and hear everyone pledge to see that he would walk in the faith.
Then Sunday night was the last of our church leadership's training sessions. We got into a rousing and sometimes emotional discussion of what membership means and what can we require of people who desire to join the church. I am of the firm conviction that if the United Methodist Church wants to survive this next 100 years, our understanding of membership is going to have to be more clearly defined, communicated, and made accoutable.
Today I am sitting in my office pondering the weekend. God was all over the place and God's people were living out their witness around me. It was a great weekend to be alive. Where did you see God and God's people at work?
It began Saturday with Angel Food at our church. Angel Food is the supplemental food program our church participates in. (Find out more about our church's part and the national ministry.) We put food in the hands of over 300 families. What was truly special is that the distribution was accomplished by a mixture of St. Andrew's church folks and good hearted people who have no formal connection with our church. Yet you couldn't tell the difference. Some of the St. Andrew's folks were wearing our custom t-shirts, but not everyone. There was a great spirit and connection between the people working. I couldn't ask for more meaningful expression of the kingdom of God than what was happening Saturday morning. God bless you St. Andrew's and Angel Food volunteers.
Saturday afternoon was Nicholas' (my 7 year old) birthday. His party was at Tulsa's Incredible Pizza Company. If you are not familiar with this, allow me to put it this way. It is Showbiz/Chuck E. Cheese pizza on a mixture of steroids and amphetamines with a coffee chaser. Nick had invited 10 kids to his party, which was okay. But it was the last Saturday of Tulsa County School Spring Break. It was Cancun for the under 12 crowd in there. But the chaos was replaced by a fantastic Dad-Sons experience. I took both boys (Andrew is 3 1/2) to Toys-R-Us for the obligatory spending of birthday cash bounty. It was enough to make a Daddy cry - Nick walked out with over $100 worth of Star Wars toys.
Sunday was a first for my time at St. Andrew's - our first baptism. We baptized one of the cutest kids I have ever met. He was surrounded by family and the church. We all came together to commit to raising him up in the faith. It was a great feeling to place the water on his head and hear everyone pledge to see that he would walk in the faith.
Then Sunday night was the last of our church leadership's training sessions. We got into a rousing and sometimes emotional discussion of what membership means and what can we require of people who desire to join the church. I am of the firm conviction that if the United Methodist Church wants to survive this next 100 years, our understanding of membership is going to have to be more clearly defined, communicated, and made accoutable.
Today I am sitting in my office pondering the weekend. God was all over the place and God's people were living out their witness around me. It was a great weekend to be alive. Where did you see God and God's people at work?
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