A nice day...

I've been too slow to get this picture on the blog! We are excited to have Anna Jones on board as our new Minister to Children. This Sunday is her first official Sunday on staff. Welcome, Anna! Ryan and I are looking forward to working alongside you.

I didn't see Anna yesterday because I finally got to take a real ride on what may have been THE perfect day to ride a motorcycle. There was a slight chill in the clean, Spring air. The sun was warm, without being hot. The leaves on the trees are still a greening, while some of the trees have the bright, early Spring, pink flowers.

Riding a motorcycle is a great way to spend a day off. I decided to ride to Mountain City because I wanted to enjoy the views of Lake Watauga.


After Mountain City I took a right turn and cruised over to a burger joint in Boone, NC. It really was a nice, nice day.

Meet Sandwich

Tomorrow's sermon isn't completed, but it's getting close (in between meetings!)

This week has been a busy one in terms of meetings. We opened with the Emmanuel trustees meetings, which included a nice supper where we got to hear from Emmanuel students from Haiti and Chile.

Then we sat in this room and talked.

Then the European Evangelistic Society met in the same room, but we had a nice lunch at Frieberg's German Restaurant. It was great to eat lunch with Beth Smith, Ethan Magness, and Ben Cachiaras all at once. That's a rare treat.

Then, on Friday night, I got to hear Cora in the choir concert that was a joint effort between the ETSU Chorus and the East Tennessee Children's Choir. They were fantastic.

Fire

Some of you saw the house across from the church this past Sunday. It burned about 3am on Sunday morning and I've been unable to make contact with the residents (we have talked in the past, but not very much). I haven't heard what caused the fire.

Not much is happening to begin the clean-up and things from the house are beginning to blow around the neighborhood.

The irony of the scattering litter is this Contents Page I found in our parking lot yesterday.

Chapter 1: When Loss Saddens Your Life
Chapter 2: When All Is Not Well
Chapter 3: When the Darkness Won't Lift

Very sad. We'll keep trying to make contact. I don't know if the residents rented or owned. We may not see them again.

In other news, Cora's friend, Nora, broke her arm at the BRAT PAC event last weekend. She gave new meaning to Spring Break. We went over last night, gave her a little gift, signed her cast and told her how sorry we are. As you can see, she's in good spirits.

The McGospel

Due to popular demand (okay, it was two people) I decided to post the McGospel from yesterday's sermon. The background on this is that I wanted to highlight the need for the church to preserve the language we have been given that allows us to discuss truths in rich and nuanced ways. I decided to use a place mat from McDonald's (the big piece of paper they put on their trays) as my lexicon for trying to convey the gospel. The exercise was more fun, and more difficult, than I imagined. I really liked how it came out, though:

The McGospel

Information found for you is from the 1 derived from none before. The 1 derived from none is the suppliers of resources of nutrition for each of you. The 1 publishes: I’m lovin’ you. The 1 publishes: I’m serving you. The 1 publishes: I’m not snack size lovin’ you. I’m large, ranch size lovin’ you. I’m deluxe, premium, Big-N-Tasty, triple thick shake lovin’ you. The 1 wrap you in lovin’!

How about lovin’ the 1? In seasonal the 1 saturated the 1 in “you” packaging. The 1 is derived from pre-consumer materials, and change formulations for you.

The 1 whipped for you. The 1 on hot McGriddles for you, in hot McSkillet for you throughout.
The 1 iced for you.

The 1 Reverse it! The 1 recycled for you. Learn it! The 1 appear for you. The 1 publishes: I’m not cooking you in oil.

The Powerade found from the 1 recommended for you.

Tonight's Slides Show

Enjoy your preview (you will if you're a fan of 10,000 Maniacs).

Fave Five and New Zion Church and

We're participating with Johnson City Ministerial Alliance Holy Week. It's our first year and I'm really excited to be a part of it. Last night's service at New Zion (near Carver Park) with Hopwood's choir and with Tim Ross preaching was wonderful, and a cultural experience as well.

Tonight's service is at Bethel Christian Church in Jonesborough. It will feature our own choir and I will be preaching. Should be interesting.

Two4Two faves:
Alyssa and Cora

Ethan and Luke

Cassady and stained glass.

Patience.

Mia.

Tonight's Slide Show

Here is your preview of tonight's slide show. I have to thank two Sams this week (but one of them is Samantha). Thanks everybody for your help in putting these together!

My Fave Five from Last Week's Two4Two

Finding my Five Faves this week was rough because I just didn't take great pictures last week. Someday I will invest in a real camera instead of using my cellphone (although I am thankful for what I have).

Mr. Luzadder looking dapper on St. Patty's Day.

Charles decided to grow a goatee. Hmm... he reminds me of another Charles whom I liked very much.

Meghan goes to battle with Abby in Carpet Ball.

Abby is obviously up to the challenge.

And Miss Nipper awaits the baking of the bread.

March 17th Two4Two slideshow

Here is tonight's video. Sorry I didn't get around to posting my Fave Five pics from last week, but they're all in this slideshow.

Tonight's Slide Show

Sam did a great job creating this week's video/slide show for Two4Two. Hope you enjoyed it.

Taking the Church Seriously

I'm preparing to read the following devotional thought at staff meeting this morning. It's from my hero, A.E. Whitham and his essay, "Taking the Church Seriously". Whitham wrote in the 1930s ... this one hit me right between the eyes today.

My plea is that we take our Church seriously--her prayers, fellowship, sacraments, and preaching. We may have a different conception of the Church, of her functions and the scope of her authority, from that of others. But the Divine necessity for a Church, its spiritual uniqueness as an institution, the belief in a special grace through her sacraments, the conviction that her preaching and teaching are of things revealed to men supernaturally in Christ, these seem to me to be the only justifying grounds for the elaborate and expensive machinery of the Church, the costly demands upon her sons and daughters for sacrificial service, the rituals and observances, whether ornate or simple, the punctual and regular attendance we exhort people to make at her services, and the distinction we feel between her gatherings and that of any other society on earth.

The Church that exalts to the highest degree her importance and necessity, her Divine validity, may or may not survive in popular esteem, but this is certain, that a Church will never survive, and does not deserve to survive, that belittles herself, and qualifies her claims until they cease to be claims and degenerate into weak and apologetic invitations. This pathetic effort to win men into the Church by echoing their own unthinking indifference and disparagement of the Church has gone so far that to speak with respect, not to say reverences, of the Church, calls forth angry retort and remonstrance from the members of the Church itself, as though you were accusing her of sin.

Fave Five from Two4Two Last Night

The ballet ladies.

The Smiling Bread Makers: Brynn and Elizabeth.

The other bread makers!

AJ and Ryan

Miles cheeses for the camera.

I haven't had the chance to upload photos from last night, but here is last night's slideshow.

My Fave Five from Last Night's Two4Two

I'll try to keep this up, but you know how blogging goes. On again. Off again. Last night's Two4Two was another good night and I'm very glad snow didn't prevent us from gathering.

I received a couple of requests to repeat the Amena Brown video I showed during Rendezvous. You'll find that video at the bottom of this post. She sure has a powerful poetic voice.

Now to the photos:

I told Brooke and Abby to look unsure about each other.

I told Ashley and Talulah not to look at each other.

I told Seth to look pensive.

I think my daughter was feeling competitive during dodge ball.

Austin took time to pose for me as well.

Celebrating a Ministry

Grandview showed up en masse to celebrate Dana's decade long ministry on Sunday night. It was a tribute to her hard work and dedication. As one person told me, "One of the things we learned last night was that our fellowship hall isn't large enough."Dirk led the festivities with his typical wit and charm. Becky Swain did her usual brilliant job of bringing humor and appreciation to the event (I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of Becky and Meredith dressed as Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato).

And here is Dana with just a few of the kids whose lives she has touched.

In Lieu of Two4Two

With the cancellation due to snow I wanted to give you a chance to see the slide show we WOULD have viewed together during Rendezous. Thanks to Sam Vaughn for creating it. We will watch it together NEXT Wednesday (Lord willing and the snow doesn't rise).

Grandview's Own Artist

First, here's Bob Hall's prayer for the 11am service tomorrow: link. It was delayed a week because of weather.


If you get a chance to go downtown to the Johnson City Arts Council rooms in the King Center, please do it. You'll get to see a wonderful showing of Peggy Root's paintings. If you've been around Grandview very long you already know that Peggy (link to Peggy's website) and Tom (link to Tom's website) are fantastic artists, but you still owe it to yourself to stop in and see Peggy's art.

In this picture you see Peggy and her mother-in-law chatting with admirers.

Gwynn takes a break from dancing to smile for me.

How can you not smile at Charles. Admit it ... you're smiling right now.

My favorite painting in the show (my iPhone doesn't quite catch the beauty, but you get the idea)

Scenes from Two4Two ... Week One!

The return of Two4Two and Rendezvous went well on Wednesday night. These are my favorite pics of then night, beginning with Ryan and the band leading the worship time.

I love this picture of the Ross Ladies!

And Sosie's picture is my favorite of the night. This little girl is bursting with personality.

Logan and Anna are table mates during the meal time.

I'm thinking Travis has his hands full with Thomas.

Here's Thomas smiling for us again.

Jack is in the house.

You is in this picture with Jonah.

Seth strikes a pose.

In a biblical anachronism, Samuel blesses Isaac.

And check out the smile on Mihail! This picture is my shining achievement of the night.

The foyer bristles with the incoming.