Sunday was Celebration Sunday -  a day in which we highlight and celebrate what God is doing in, through, and among our church members.  That morning we saw an incredible video detailing the amazing mission work that two of our members, Rick and Julie Arce, along with their friend J.D. Culbreath are doing in Bolivia.  That night we met at Andrews Park for a time of worship, fellowship, and sharing.  We got to hear some wonderful stories of how our LIFE Groups are taking care of each other and reaching out to the community.

I continue to be amazed at how our members are creatively living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Way to go, Alameda!

On Mother's Day I showed a video featuring Pam Cope, who turned the grief of losing her teenage son into an incredible ministry of rescuing child slaves in Ghana.  Her book, Jantsen's Gift, tells this powerful story.  Here's an excerpt:

"The concept of a bad day for my kids is when the cable goes out, or there's a not enough milk for their Lucky Charms. I want my kids to know a different life than that; to have a different understanding of what constitutes hardship. The best way for me to do this is to do what I regretted not having done for Jantsen: teach them, through the way I live my life, that the world is not as big as we think and it's my responsibility--and will someday be theirs--to take care of people who need our help, even if those people look nothing like us, or live someplace that seems far away and foreign. I see many of my friends trying to shield their kids from pain and disappointment the way that I did when Jantsen and Crista were young, but I can't continue to do that. I don't want them to be crippled by fear. I want them to take chances and live adventurous lives. I want them to live their dreams, and the best way I can teach them to do that is to let them watch me live mine."

I'm reading a book right now by Andy Stanley called The Principle of the Path.  It is an easy, yet profound in its simplicity.  It is a challenge to us to take a good look at the path we are traveling in life to see if that path will get us to where we want to go.  I plan to preach on this in the future, but here's an excerpt from the book:

"Every time you eat something you know you will regret, you fall into this category.  Every time you talk yourself out of exercising, you talk yourself out of a preferred future.  Every time you light up a cigarette, lie to your spouse, spend money you don't have, you act as if today is in no way connected to tomorrow.  You see danger.  Yet instead of taking refuge, you keep going.  You know life is connected.  You just don't live as if it is.  You make decisions today as if today is isolated from tomorrow."

On my recent trip to the Pepperdine Lectureship I witnessed something that was "historic" to me.  During the keynote lecture on the last night, I saw a white woman give up her seat to an elderly black man.  Now, you're problably thinking, "What's the big deal about that?"  Here's the big deal: the elderly black man was Fred Gray. 

Fred Gray is a long-time Church of Christ preacher (he was one of Marshall Keeble's "Preacher Boys") and has been an elder at his congregation for 40 years.  Fred was also the attorney for Rosa Parks, when she refused to give up her seat on a bus and kick-started the Civil Rights Movement.  Fred also represented Martin Luther King, Jr. and is known to many as the "lawyer for the Civil Rights Movement." 

So, when I saw a white woman give her seat to Fred Gray, it struck me as ironic that the reason that act is seen as "no big deal" today is due, in part, to the work of a Church of Christ preacher who stood up for the way of Christ.

I recently heard a great piece of advice that was directed to preachers:

1. Preach the Word

2. Love the people

3. Let the Spirit move

Amen!

I was in California last week when the news broke that another baseball superstar, Manny Ramirez of the L.A. Dodgers, was suspended for violating the rules on performance-enhancing drugs.  It's easy to get upset with these athletes who deliberately cheat and break the rules, but what do you expect in a culture that values short-cuts?  Our economy has been badly damaged as a result, in part, of people taking financial "shortcuts" to make more money.  Our standard of morality has been lowered because we have bought into the false notion that integrity can be gained through shortcuts.  But shortcuts are also seen in the church.

Many Christians believe that you can read one book, attend one seminar, go on a weekend retreat, or attend the "in" church and instantly have a close, healthy relationship with God.  But this is the spiritual equivilent of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics.  There is no place for shortcuts in our life with Christ.  Walking closely with Christ is the result of the disciplines of reading the Bible, praying, quiet times with God, simplicity, sabbath rest, service, etc.  Sometimes I wish this weren't the case - like with exercise and diet - but it's not.

I want Alameda to be a congregation that is not afraid to be disciplined in our walk with Christ or to expect discipline from our members.  It's so easy to simply tell people what they want to hear, but some people need to be told to make some difficult changes in their lives if they seriously want to grow in their relationship with God.  Are you willing to make the decisions that lead to closer communion with God?

Don't take spiritual shortcuts, because you won't win in the end - just ask Manny. 

We're back from our adventure to California to attend the Pepperdine Lectureship.  Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but I have a list of topics I want to write about so hopefully I will have regular updates.  Before we went to Pepperdine we spent a few days in a beach cottage in San Diego.  I went running a couple of days and I learned a lesson from the running path I followed.

One side of the path followed the beach.  On one side was the beautiful ocean and beach.  On the other side were beautiful beach houses.  At one point the path turned and wrapped around the houses to where I couldn't see the ocean anymore - and the difference was striking.  One minute I was running along the beach with a view of the Pacific Ocean and the sound of crashing waves.  It was peaceful and inspiring.  When I made the turn along the path I could no longer see the ocean or hear the waves.  All I could hear was the sound of cars.  All I could see were houses and shops and people.  On one side of the path was serenity; on the other side was the busy-ness that I was trying to take a break from.

So, what did I do?  I took a shortcut that took me back to the beach!  Our lives are busy and stressful - that's a consequence of the fallen world in which we live.  But we can choose what path we walk.  The path of Christ is difficult at times, but it is consistently filled with beauty, wonder, awe, peace, joy, and serenity.  The path of the world is filled with noise, noise, noise.  Every day - through prayer, meditation, music, friendships, time in God's Word, rest - we can step off the path of the world in order to stay in the path of Christ so that our lives can be anchored by the way of Christ.

Keep walking with Christ, and take some time this week to "run by the beach" to remember the blessings of God that enrich our lives!

The New York Times recently printed an article that examined several studies that have been done on friendships.  Here's a few excerpts:

"In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends."

"In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t terribly well appreciated,” said Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. “There is just scads of stuff on families and marriage, but very little on friendship. It baffles me. Friendship has a bigger impact on our psychological well-being than family relationships.”

“People with stronger friendship networks feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen A. Roberto, director of the center for gerontology at Virginia Tech. “Friendship is an undervalued resource. The consistent message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”

Friends have such an impact on the quality of our lives, including our spiritual lives. After reading the NYT article, I am committing myself to being a better friend and to making more time for my friends. What can you do to develop deeper friendships?

I've had several conversations with people over the last several days who feel discouraged by circumstances in their lives.  Here's a great piece of wisdom from Henri Nouwen for all of you who might be discouraged:

"You have to keep unmasking the world about you for what it is: manipulative, controlling, power-hungry, and, in the long run, destructive. The world tells you many lies about who you are, and you simply have to be realistic enough to remind yourself of this. Every time you feel hurt, offended or rejected, you have to dare to say to yourself: 'These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself. The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace.'"

This week is going to be extremely busy, but also very exciting.  On Friday night Alameda has our first annual volunteer appreciation banquet.  We have a great program planned to honor our volunteers who do such a wonderful job of serving our church family and our community.  On Saturday we have our annual Ray Evans Seminar with three dynamic speakers: David Duncan, Robert Cox, and Harold Shank.  On Sunday Harold Shank will preach for us.  Then...

Monday is Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season and...

Tuesday I am heading to Tulsa to see Bruce Springsteen in concert...

You gotta love it!