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Children, Children...

 

Man!  I just caught part of the Pelosi press conference after the failed vote on the $700 billion bailout by our U.S. Congress...  Can these people act any more like spoiled little children?!  Partisan - Huh!  At a time of economic crisis, can't these people suspend their need for power for just one day in order to better serve the very people who've elected them? --

Maybe this will escalate the pendulum swing in politics and allow us voters to demand our elected officials begin acting like responsible adults rather than little kids pointing their finger at each other saying, He touched me! It's all her fault!  I don't wanna' play anymore... 

Give me a break people!  How about you start acting like the adults who've voted for you and get off the kiddie-slide long enough to actually think about our country!

Dodged a Bullet...

 

Well, it seems that we may have dodged the financial-collapse bullet facing our American economic system.  We're still not out of the woods, but, it looks as if we have at least headed off the financial calamity and collapse that would have surely occurred had not some intervention taken place over the past four or so days...

But, the questions remain - Why did this happen?  How did we get ourselves into this mess?  What went wrong to cause all of this?  I think one word might sum it all  up -- GREED... Yep, greed, According to Webster:  a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.  

Greed on the part of Wall-street seeking to widen its financial hold and power  - lenders, seeking to deepen their financial pockets - and, even, buyers, trying to buy more than they could actually afford, tempted & fooled  by the more is better myth that plagues our nation today...

What will we learn for all of this?  I hope it causes us to reevaluate who we are and what is really important, to revisit what we really need, and do a deep soul-search as to why we actually think more and bigger than we really need is somehow something that we are willing to sell our souls in order to achieve.

Perhaps this is not so much a financial mater as it is a matter of the soul...

Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs...

 

Well now, we have Sugarloaf Staff members in the blogisphere by the gaggle...  A big part of the new staff blogs is to keep the different ministry areas promoted, and to help keep people who are interested in the specific area(s) more informed as to all the goings-on throughout any given week in the life and ministry of SUMC...  Look at my Sugarloaf Bloggers to link to our staff blogs stay better in the loop...

Woo! Hoo! I Love it When Church Folk Scream!

 

OK -- So for the past 24 hours I've been monitoring an email dialog between several dozen of our church leaders at Sugarloaf...  As the responsible senior leader it's always great to hear people screaming for the very things we have already identified and have been feverishly working on for months - Those things necessary to facilitate rapid growth and better build God's kingdom.  It's great to be able to respond - You're right, and with your help, it's about to happen!  So, scream on church folk - You're a voice for change to promote the Way of the Cross!  I just love it when a God-plan comes together :)

Alive & Kicking

For those who have asked - yes.  I'm still alive and kicking - Just behind after the wonderful surprise birth of Elizabeth Anne last week.  And, for the many who have also asked.  Yes.  She is doing great!!  Thanks so much for the prayers, support, cards and emails inquiring how all were doing - Everyone's dandy, and Elizabeth Anne is home with mom, dad, big brother Barrett, and big sister Meridith ready to carve her own special niche in our hearts...

GRANDBABY # 5 HAS ARRIVED!

Yesterday morning about 5:30 we received a call from our oldest son, Massey, telling us he and his wife Carrie Anne were at St Vincents Medical  Center in Birmingham, AL ready to deliver their third child, and our fifth grandchild...  We were a bit surprised since they were almost four weeks away from the due-date, but, as we have with the other four grandkids, we began throwing things in suitcases readying ourselves to head to Birmingham.

I had a teaching obligation at our New Church Leadership Academy in Marietta, and I also knew I could only be away for a couple of days this week, so, Dee headed out in her car and I followed after my teaching session.

About 3:00 central time, little (And I do mean little -  4 pounds thirteen ounces, and eighteen inches long) Elizabeth Anne Willingham made her world debut.  She is absolute perfection in a small package, and we are so blessed with the wonderful family we have.

Martin - I.T. Extraordinaire ...

 

 So - My iPhone wasn't sending emails - Kind of a bummer since email is my lifeline throughout the day - I prefer emailing when possible because I can just send, receive, tell, hear without any chit-chat or smalltalk (Don't get me wrong - I like chit-chat and smalltalk, just not when I'm trying to get business done as efficiently as possible).  Anyway - I'm out of commission and my assistant, Michelle, contacts our I.T. folks, and, Martin, our whiz-kid computer/techno wizard shows up to the rescue.

So, Martin says, I'll need your iPhone for a couple of hours... -WHAT!  A couple of hours?! -- Maybe three, says Martin.   Oh, and I'll need your laptop too...  WHAT!  Three hours at Starbucks without technology!  What the heck will I do?  Oh, yeah, meet some people and chit-chat and smalltalk -- OK, I can do that for three hours I guess - And maybe I'll sneak in a run during my techno-abstinence...

I get back to the office and Michelle tells me Martin's got everything up and running -- And up-and-running he did!  He upgraded the iPhone to some kind of something point something that I didn't understand except - I can now be more efficient, faster, and productive with the iPhone tool in one hand and cup of dark-roast in the other...

Kudos to Martin, I.T. extrodinare!!!     

Into the Future...

We had a great meeting last night with our Sugarloaf Campus Development Team and members from CCL , a strategic design and development group who worked with us on the last project we did.  These guys know their stuff, and love the Lord!  They have the same passion to reach the lost world as we at Sugarloaf, and have been great partners to help us achieve that goal in our slice of the world.

The greatest thing about last night's meeting was looking out 25 years in preparation for Sugarloaf UMC reaching the lost and hurting world both here in our regional area and beyond throughout the world!  The Campus Development Team is awesome, and have a heart and vision for the future of the church.

I am stoked (Is that a word old guys say when they want to be cool?)  But, whether I'm cool or not -- I'm stoked about the future of Sugarloaf.  God has done a great work in this church, and, I sense, He's not anywhere near through working both to and through the great people of Sugarloaf UMC to take Jesus to the streets!

Driving our Stakes in the Ground...

The past few weeks I've had some great, but intense meetings with my lead staff @ Sugarloaf.  We have looked at where we've been, where we are, and where God is calling and leading us to be as a staff and as a church.  This morning we drove our stake in the ground and committed together as the leadership team to see this thing through and to focus this church on making disciples who make a difference in this world! 

If you are a regular @ Sugarloaf you will be hearing much more about this, and, participating in the future as we, together, continue becoming the church pleasing to God and dedicated to the commission of Jesus to Go into the all the world and make disciples of all people...

It feels good!

My Love/Hate With Mondays...

So, I love running.  I run five days a week in preparation for the upcoming marathon in December -- Mondays are my "fast" day - That is, whatever distance I'm running, I run at race pace -- 5k, 10k, whatever, I basically run it as fast as I possibly can -- This is where the hate comes in...  That's hard. 

It's tough going out the door knowing I'm basically running a mock race - No cheering fans & friends at the finish - No medals - No t-shirt - Just the satisfaction of knowing I've left it all on the street, and forced my feet to turn over and heart to hit 185 beats per minute, while my muscles, legs and lungs feel like they're about to explode!

But, I love it - because I know come marathon-day, my body, heart, and mind will be better prepared for the 26.2 miles.  I love it - I hate it - But, I do it!

Guess that's kinda' the thing with my soul as well - I love what God can do when I'm available and open to His prompting -  But, some days I hate His prompting.  Sometimes it's tough to motivate myself to tackle the difficult issues of life - Those gray places that beg for black or white, yet, when filtered through the soul just can't come out quite so clean and tidy - Those ambivalent times when it would be much easier to give in and go with the flow, or cave to the pressure - Those days when I'd rather just stay in bed, or, maybe sit on the couch and eat a couple of Twinkies and bag the difficult task of reflection that lays before me...

But, I discipline myself to do these things so when the day comes and I have to stand for what I believe, deal with the situation, act on my faith, and know that when it's all said and done, I've done the best I can to do the best I can do...