Lenten Thoughts

I grew up in the South. I also grew up in the evangelical church of the South. We did not celebrate Lent. Thinking back, I am not sure I had a any real understanding of the Lenten season until I was in HS. In my thirties like many I began to ask simple questions about my faith, my world view and my future. In this time of searching I read authors I had never heard of, built friendships with people from different Christian traditions & more than once asked myself, "Why did we do/believe that?".

Along the way I discovered many of my Catholic brothers & sisters of the faith had just that...faith. Faith in the same God, the same scriptures and the same Christ. Their faith and worship was rich with images not only for the eyes, ears, but also the palate of taste. I had not only discovered new members of my spiritual family, I had also re-discovered my faith in a new and vital way.

Advent & Lent are now a part of my annual worship experience and each year The Spirit teaches me something new and beautiful about following this Jesus the Christ.

I am excited about what I shall discover over the next 46 days.

PS Just so you will know, here is what I am fasting from the next 46 days.

1. I will be eating vegetarian

2. I will be consuming no desserts, sweets, candy and will avoid white sugar.

3. I will limit myself to 3 pints of local brew per week.

4. My Facebook statuses will be limited to the things I HEAR from God's presence as I practice LISTENING.

My homeless friend is a poet.

I have a homeless friend, he is a poet. The first time you meet him you would never know such a thing. He has broad shoulders, muscles on his arms the size of tree trunks & a "I dare you to look at me wrong" look in his eye. He is always shaved and wearing clean clothing. He has a deep raspy voice and is easy with a joke; once he knows you.

The first conversation I had with him he told me about his bad habit. His bad habit? He has a habit of getting thrown in jail. Not for anything "serious", just placing his fist in the face of people who run off at the mouth.

We have become friends. We text each other every day or so and bump into each other around Durham once or twice a week. He even has a face book page. Probably one or two of your face book friends are homeless if you knew their whole story.

He spent the last two years in a tent in a secluded patch of woods in East Durham. He is a "professional" urban outdoorsmen and can teach you how to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer using a 12 volt car battery.

Two weeks ago he asked me for a pen and a piece of paper. He sat down and penned this poem. He told me he had had it in his brains for a few days. His penmanship was legible and spelling correct. More than a few homeless have talents and skills that are amazing.

Whether you are Christian or not I hope you will enjoy the beauty of the words he penned. This is like and Christmas to him. I hope and pray 2011 brings him much joy and an extra bucket of coal for the fire ;)

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Twas the night before Christmas

And all along the streets

No warmth for the homeless

Nor anything to eat

I with my sleeping bag

And an old homeless cat

Went behind the bush for a cold winter’s nap.

Then all of a sudden

I heard a wonderful sound

I jumped from the bush

In one single bound

And what did my wondering eyes did see,

A soft spoken stranger looking at me.

He spoke very softly, passing out blankets as he went

I knew in my hear he was heaven sent.

I asked the stranger, where are you from my dear friend?

He said even though I’m not there any more

I’m from Bethlehem.

May you experience a blessed, merry & warm Christmas!

My oldest daughter resembles her.

This is a picture of my grandmother Katie Penny "Lee" Wilson. It was taken about 1908 when she was 18 yrs old. The story is, that was anger on her face. Her soon to be husband James Parker Wilson had just said or done something that truly set her off. That exact action is lost in time, but there is no doubt she is not a happy young woman in his photo.

Many small family events are lost to history. For one, we are not 100% sure what Katie's maiden name was. Her death certificate shows Lee while her headstone shows Penny. The 1900 census of Granville County finds Katie & several of her siblings as "children" of a Mr. James M. Davis. Even as a lady of over seventy she referred to these two people as "Uncle Med" & "Aunt Cindy". Her mother operated a boarding house in Granville County. Her name was Geneva Lee and is buried in a city cemetery in Henderson. Katie referred to herself as Katie Penny Wilson. Penny appears to be a name associated with Geneva's mother's family. We do know Geneva's mother's name, Mary Dickerson. It appears that her maiden name might have been Penny.

Much of the truth of who Katie's father was is lost in time or never discussed. Katie's oldest child was born in 1914, while her youngest in 1932. Through the years questions have been asked, but were met with reticent and even negative response. With only three of the nine children still living, that information may die with her children.

Not that it is that important. As a student of history the question and the answer are interesting things to ferret out some 100yrs later.

Southern Sensibilities can be good but, I have found them to cause more harm and confusion than peace. The "We Don't Talk About That" mantra just separates relationships over feelings of embarassment and usually the question left unanswered creates a much darker possibility in the imagination than the truth.

This I know about my Grandmother:

• She had a tough childhood. Hard work was a part of daily life that increased in volume during the growing season.
• She married James Parker Wilson and they lived in and around Wake Forest.
• She birthed 9 children, one died in a car accident at 15.
• At some point she experienced a radical, life changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
• She became a founding member of The Wake Forest Church of God.
• She fasted and prayed every other day for her children, grand children and great grand children.
• There are older people still living in Wake Forest who will speak of what a Godly wonderful woman she was.
• My early childhood memories of her are of a loving, gentle, beautiful woman.
• She gave me 8 aunts and uncles and scores of 1st & 2nd cousins. My childhood memories of ALL of them are nothing but fond.

May her prayers for me, my family and future generations be full of God's grace & mercy.

The Chronological Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson

The Chronological Study Bible

The sights, sounds, smells and feelings are tangible to me even after over forty years of life. I remember the nursery, with caring smiling faces, a sense of comfort and love and of course Nilla Wafers and Ritz crackers. The vestibule was full of friendly faces, pats on the head and warm conversations. Many of the faces in my mind have long since exited this planet, but their love for Jesus, the local community and their church lingers on in my memory. From there, years of Sunday school, Children's Church, Awana Clubs, sword drills and the like filled my mind and heart with the stories of the bible. From large flannel graph boards to story books, the narrative of the bible, God and Jesus were permanently carved into my person. In college the bible was studied as literature, language, exegesis, theology and each verse was parsed into little pieces of truth. We did study through the bible more than once, but we never wavered from the canonical flow of the books.

Can you imagine reading through a book of American History that was out of order? Let's say the narrative started with man stepping on the moon, then moved to the war of 1812, then to the Great Depression, then the signing of The Declaration of Independence and next to the War Between the States, finally ending with the Golden Era of Industry beginning in the 1900's. You would indeed have individual stories of historical fact about America and Americans, but it would be difficult to fully see the grand picture of the historical timeline of the USA. The bible most of us read and study from everyday is much the same way. Each book is truth and points to The Truth but, many times the narrative timeline is out of order.

The Chronological Bible does much to alleviate the problem. The editors carefully attempt at move books, chapters and verses of scripture from their canonical location to a location in the narrative that best reflects the historical order of the story of the bible, God and Jesus.

You will not notice much difference in order from Genesis to Ruth, but moving through the story on Israel’s first monarch Saul and picking up the life of a future king David, you will see a surprising and remarkable change. The editors become concerned with placing scripture in an historical order of timeline. The publisher makes it clear in the introduction that the order as chosen by the editors is not without mistakes, but in my view, the scholars did a pretty good job.

As I read I found Psalm 23 in the place where David may have penned this most beloved scripture/song, between I Sam 16 and 17. Just a few pages later, Psalm 59 appears in the story as Saul is attempting to kill David. Throughout the narrative of David’s life the Psalms he wrote appear in the story in their approximate historical order. The same will be found with the life of Solomon and his writings. The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and The Song of Solomon appear in his life when they may have been penned, or when they address the time of Solomon’s life. The entire OT is placed in historical order. The king’s are placed in historical time along with the voices and writings of the Prophets. Their words of warning, blessing and cursing are linked together with the life and reign of each king of Israel, Judah and the kings and leaders of the Jewish exiles and oppression. I read the text seeing the entire story placed on the giant time line of world history, not a disjointed and separated revelation of God, his people and His life.

You will see and experience the beauty of the bible narrative in a new way. Freed from the canonical order, the bible becomes a giant story novel of God and His relationship with His planet and creation.

For those of you who are people of Christian faith, the NT will bring a new clarity of the Life of Jesus and the first 100 years of the church. The four gospels and Acts are no longer five separate books, but a written story of the life and incarnation of Jesus and the founding of the Christian Church. The voices of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are clear, but they are interwoven into a chorus of story tellers. As you move through the founding of the church, the Epistles of the church leaders of Paul, Peter, John and the rest are read as they would have been written. I Corinthians is placed after Acts 19:22, the place in the narrative of Acts where Paul might have written and sent the letter from his time in Ephesus. The entire NT flows in this manner until you end with the book of Revelation.

The publishers have not only provided a new view of an age old text, but they have included tools in the text to help the reader along the way. By glancing at the top of each page the reader will find out what scriptures are included as well as the approximate dates of the writing. At each book change or mashup, the editors include transitional explanations as to why the passage was placed in that spot. Notes are included to explain important archeological finds and information as well as secular and biblical historical details. Maps and geographic information are printed on the page as it coincides with the story, making it easier to visualize the physical placement of the narrative details. Illustrations are ghosted unto the pages at intervals to give visual interest to the text. The opening pages of the book have a comprehensive introduction that explains each tool and even suggestions for their use.

I like this bible. As a matter of fact, I wish I had owned one many years ago. This presentation allows the story of the bible to flow in a narrative form that will remind you of a novel. During my time of reviewing a copy, I took the Chronological Bible with me almost everywhere and showed it to many people. Each one that looked at the book and allowed me to show them “how” it worked had one statement, “I gotta have one”.

With the positives I found, I do want to point out a few weaknesses the format has. I do not like the onion skin thin paper the book is printed on. I know this is normal paper for the bible industry, but it is too thin to take the abuse I give to my study bibles. I want thick paper that can stand a hand written note with a colored Sharpie, but alas, this may be a dream I will never experience in any bible. I liked the ghosted illustrations in the text, but the illustrations themselves reminded me of the flannel graph figures of my childhood-cheesy vs realistic. The binding is hardcover, but I don’t know if it can hold up to traveling in my backpack from bedside, to car floor, to coffee shop, to computer bag, to airport, to office desk and back again.

It is a bible I believe all readers of The Book will enjoy. I also feel you will see and experience the greatness of the story in a new and maybe even miraculous way.

Missional Misgivings

Dan Kimball speaks on his thoughts regarding missional churches.
I agree with him, if you define a missional church and life style as narrowly as he.

Leadership Journal has an article about "Showtime" churches. A slight contrast to Dan musings.

J. Lee Grady adds his two cents worth on the charismatic breakdown.
(HT:Bill Kinnon)

Chris Elrod breaks down what church planting should be about.

Blackwater Falls and tons of laughter

The temps were great and the skies were blue while I walked to the falls. Jarrod, Ingrid, Phil and Sherry and I enjoyed our light conversation and vigorous hike to see and hear the falls.
We kicked around Davis and Thomas and finally headed up into the mountains to find the gang and make sure Len Sweet made it in from Morristown, NJ safely. i am now heading to bed and looking forward to the rest of the weekend with friends.

Country roads take me home...

I'll be leaving in a few hours for a drive to West Virginia. It has become an annual trip for me. I'll spend the weekend with folks who have become my friends the last five years. Len Sweet, his brother John, Lisa and Will Sampson, Jarrod Hunt, Ingrid Flowers, Lan Leavell, Missi Wilson, Mom Wilson and a handful of others who are faces and memories. We will talk about Jesus, the future of the church and things as trivial as cigars and whiskey. We will share our meals together and pray for and with each other.

A great deal of the time I will spend looking at the mountains, soaking up the air and asking a simple question; "God, am I still where you want me doing what you want me to do?" It sounds simple, but life revolves around that question everyday. To walk with God and to walk on the "right" road with Him. If you stumble across this post the next few days, take a moment and pray for me and my family as we continue to walk with God into the future not forgetting the past.

Shaun & Rai's miracle day...and life.

Shaun & Rai King are planting a organic church in Atlanta, GA. Only God's grace and mercy have allowed them to see that day. Read about their miracle day and trust God today for the one you may need.

House Church Promo

This video was just so cute I had to post it.

Random Nothingness

It has been a busy week here. On top of that, the last two posts were so meaningful to me that anything else I can add at the moment would seem trite, and all of you that know me know I am not trite or sarcastic or shallow in any way;-)

At our faith community this morning we are going to view a video by Louie Giglio, "How Great is Our God", it is worth the 40mins.



OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets
I've been telling people for several years that this blog is good for the whole family.
Here is proof, there is no cussing on this blog. All of my fundy friends can come and hang out here. They will not hear the Lord's name taken in vain or any other such sinful talk on this blog. Now, for all the blogs in my Blogcase, watch out, they cuss like Australian sailors and probably need Jesus. Pray for them!

• I can still hear my father's voice in the back of my head,"Can't never gets you anywhere". "I can't", just does not cut it with my dad. Bethany could have easily spoken those words and no one would have blamed her. Not only did she surf again...she has gone pro.
• Sobering words by Buzz Aldrin
  

Big paintings = God's kingdom on earth, touching people, where they live and work and play...

Dan Nelson started the painting above at 12 noon May 17. He set-up his giant easel as a part of Artplosure 2008.

This is the same painting at 3pm Sunday, May 18. Dan finished the painting at 6pm Sunday evening, the painting was then sold to the high bidder of a silent auction that went on while he painted. At 3pm, the price was around $550.00.

Dan is an artist. He paints big. He paints small. He illustrates books.
He paints portraiture. He draws on sidewalks with chalk. He draws/paints architecture. He draws cartoons. Dan plays several instruments. Dan sings. Dan writes music. Dan is an artist.

Dan is also a pastor. Dan planted and lead a church for several years. They would meet on Saturday in Moore Square in Raleigh, NC. They would make music and eat food together, inviting any and all in the park to join along. On weekends, Dan would set-up his giant easel and paint and talk to people as they passed by. Dan met many people and a church grew. Dan painted and pastored for several years, then decided to move the church to a home church. After five years of home church, Dan spends his Sundays painting all over the area. After many years of church, Dan is now part of the fastest growing Christian community in North America. Dan is one of the many Christians who is no longer a member of a church. Most Sundays he never even attends a church.



Dan is an artist, a musician and probably a better pastor now than he ever was when he was pastoring/attending a church.

His children shall call him blessed...

I met Jane and Brad Tippet over ten years ago. They are wallpaper contractors and good at their trade. About nine years ago they lost their fourteen year old daughter Jessica to leukemia. Brad carved much of the lettering on a headstone that sits on the grave. They are Jesus-people. They are not traditional-church-going Christians, but show they know Jesus by the lives they lead.

Jane called me earlier in the week. Her 80 year old father died and the family needed a preacher for the memorial service. I had met Mr. Ferrell during the time of Jessica's death, but that had been some years ago. He was a man of faith, so I could always point to his Jesus and a reunion that will take place in the future, I just hoped that would be enough.

Early Wednesday morning I visited the house where Mr Ferrell had lived. Three of his children and a DIL and a SIL were there. As they began to tell me about their father, the picture became more and more clear. Mr Ferrell was a man who worked hard to make sure his family had what they needed. He had a huge sense of humor that caused the family to have fond memories of childhood. He loved his children, grand children and great grand children.Mr Ferrell was a devoted husband to his wife of 57 years until her death four years ago. His son Mark said his father did not teach him how to live or be a man by words, but he did it by his life.

I was surprised by the service. The kids were going to eulogize their father. I hoped they would not be overwhelmed by grief as they spoke.

Boy, was I about to go to school. Glenda, the second oldest daughter, told many of the funny stories of Mr. Ferrell. She told of a man who loved and laughed and taught the family to do the same. Jane, the youngest, read a letter she wrote to her father on Father's Day almost twenty years ago. Words twenty years old shouted of the faith, love, care and concern this man had for his children and family. Mark, the youngest son, sang a song in tribute to his father and said, "He was the greatest man I have ever known."

As you can imagine, after the children gave testimony to the greatness of their father, there was not much I could say. Their words were a honorary memorial to the life of this "common" man, a simple wallpaper hanger, a simple husband, a simple father, a simple grand father, a simple great grand father, a simple WWII vet, a simple Jesus man; who's impact will be seen for several generations to come.

Carl Glenn Ferrell
May 20, 1927
May 4, 2008

The Fish Smellers

I have a first cousin named Donna. She has a husband named Joe. Donna and Joe have a daughter named Katrina. Katrina has a husband named Bryant. Katrina and Bryant have a little son named Conner. This small family lives side by side in a rural/urban part of Orange County, N.C.

They give great honor to Donna's father Norman who was married to my mothers' older sister Louise. Aunt Louise could take a month of postings alone; let me say this, she was the mother to six kids, a huge number of grand children and a hand full of great grand children, she was a huge life force in her family and her love could bring great joy, she was opinionated and spoke her mind at the drop of a hat. Her cooking continues to be legendary and a social gathering at Aunt Louise and Uncle Normans' house was sure to be a party.

There is a bit of family background.

Joe and Bryant are of course FIL and SIL respectively. They also are serious fishermen. They have a pontoon boat that is built for fishing. They invited my father Louis and me to go fishing with them on Saturday.

I have heard about their fishing trips. These two men claim to be able to smell fish when they are biting. (I am not talking about those guys who cruise around on lakes at 60mph chasing the Large Mouth Bass. Joe and Bryant are after meat fish, something to bring home, clean and then have a fish fry with friends and relatives.)
I never doubted this, I just had never heard of such a thing.

Yesterday morning my father and I met Joe, Bryant and Uncle Norman and headed for a lake in Alamance County. After a 35 minute drive we arrived at a beautiful, tree lined N.C. lake. The morning was bright and cool with a steady breeze. We boarded the boat and were off. Joe and Bryant were talking about coves to get away from the wind. After a fifteen minute cruise across the lake the fishing began. For over one hour we pulled in one good size meat fish after another. Using ultra light tackle a 12 oz. fish puts up a great fight. The wind blew a bit harder and we moved to several other spots and caught a few fish.

By noon Uncle Norman and my father were tired. We returned them to the dock, had a bit of lunch and moved on to another spot. As we entered the cove Bryant simply stated, "I can smell them, they are here." Now, as I took a deep whiff of the air I did indeed smell a fishy aroma in the air.

Needless to say, Bryant was right. The next two hours we caught scores of fish, keeping only the large ones for eating. I now believe that Bryant and Joe could easily have a fishing program on ESPN Outdoors...of course the name would be "The Fish Smellers".

By three o'clock we were back at the home of Joe and Donna, Katrina and Bryant and little Conner. Conner met his father as soon as we arrived and wanted to see the fish.
The live well was opened and Conner saw the abundant harvest from the fresh,clean waters of the lake. A count was taken, the total harvest was 184 fresh water fish caught on a beautiful N.C. spring day.

If you have a Joe and Bryant in your life you are a wealthy person. If you do not have a Donna and Joe, Katrina, Bryant and little Conner, Uncle Norman in your life, you are a pauper indeed.

Thank YOU guys for a great memory and good fishing!!

Point Counter Point

There is a very interesting debate at BeliefNet. It is between two of faiths great thinkers. One is an orthodox theologian while the other has cast off his christian roots for free thought. They are discussing how pain and suffering relate to our faith and our God. Take some time to give the posts a read.


HT:Mike Morrell

Short visit, long implications...

The Pope visited one of the oldest synagogues in the U.S. on Friday. The video at the news website is less than 22 minutes. It may have been a short visit, but I believe this stop could have far reaching and positive effects on the church of the world.
A "raw" video of the visit was in the side bar this morning. It is worth the time to watch and listen. Rabbi Scheier gives a powerful illustration for followers of Yaweh to build relationships and work together. If we as the Body of Christ, (I include all Catholics and Protestants) as well as those who call on Yaweh, (Jews and Christians) would begin to know and care for each other, we could then love and care for a hurting, hungry world.

Another video at YouTube...

simply begging...

For those of you who know me, you know I have several
careers. I am a pastor/general contractor/beekeeper. The GC role feeds my family. It is difficult and scary at times, but somehow, we have never missed a meal and the bills are paid. I have a business partner Harry Polk. He is my friend. He also owns a small construction company. As sole proprietors of two small companies, Harry and I have found it advantegous to work together on many projects. We have a simple agreement, when I am the GC, he is my foreman, when he is the GC, I am his. It has worked for almost four years. We have not made a large profit, but we have managed to grow each company little by little, very slowly.

On Thursday, we were working on one of Harry's projects. We were at the end of the day and finishing a roof to avoid a coming sleet/rain storm. In the end, Harry took a serious fall. Even as he was in severe pain, he did not think of himself...he worried only about his family and their future. He was rushed to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. After a few hours in ER, he went into surgery. He will survive! He sustained a broken left femur and two broken wrists. The leg should heal fine, the wrists are still in the air. He will return to surgery on Tuesday and then a long hospital and rehab stay.

I do not want his family to suffer a huge financial setback! His health insurance will cover all health care, but he did not carry disability or workmens comp on himself. So, I am asking for the help of ALL my friends all over the world. I believe the family of faith can work to help the Polk family in the next few months. I want to raise as much cash as I can and pass it on to Harry's wife Kristie. The construction projects will not stop, as I will step in and bring them to completion, but the monies for Harry's weekly draw will need to be spent on subcontractors to complete the work.

I am asking all my friends to send some cash my way. All donations will pass through the account of my small church and will be tax deductible. 100% of the cash will be given to the Polks for household expenses. Send any and all donations to:

The Carpenter's Shop
6135 Huntsboro Rd
Oxford, NC 27565-7546

~OR~

Paypal account: carpentersshop@gmail.com

I do ask that you will pray for Harry, Kristie, Braelyn, McKenzie and Ta-Ray.
If you are in and around Durham, NC, Harry and Kristie can be found in Rm # 6105 at DUMC.

Blessings2u,

Jimmy

FollowUp: Shelley set up a blog regarding Harry's recovery, check it out.

Words of Wisdom in Chaos

7 Loving Challenges

As I have mentioned before, I am really not wanting a fight. If I can love my wife, my daughters, my family and community, I will have a full day. Oh God, Please help!

Random Spiritual-ness & Wasted Worship

Worship may be a waste of your time.

An agnostic is more like Jesus.

Put down that highlighter.

Biting spiritual cartoons.

Another bite.

Jesus COULD NOT Pastor an SBC congregation.