Peace on Earth, Good Will To Man

All,
checkout this awesome Casting Crowns rendition of the song written by Longfellow during the Civil War. Casting Crowns version of the song is the best I've ever heard and I wanted to share it with you all.
Merry Christmas!!!

AI Gives Back Song

Did anyone stay up and watch American Idol last night? With family in (Keri's parents) and Wednesday night bible class along with Adam and Aaron over playing Wii I did not catch Idol Gives Back but I did hear that the last song of the night was performed by the remaining 8 contestants and the song was, believe it or not SHOUT TO THE LORD. I did catch it this morning on youtube and thought they did a fantastic job singing the song. Was somewhat disappointed and a little annoyed but not surprised that they edited out "Jesus" and replaced his name with "Shepherd" but was still amazed that it was performed at all. It is significant though that Jesus does refer to himself as "the Good Shepherd"!

You can check out the performance at http://youtube.com/watch?v=zY8N5sdrEf8



BTW: In my opinion David Cook and Carly Smithson did an awesome job with the song. Who do you think will be the next American Idol? I am thinking it will be the other David (Archuleta) but will not be surprised or that disappointed if David Cook wins.

Roger, over and out!!!

Reviewing the day

How do you communicate with God? This spring quarter the Young Adult Sunday morning class is going through John Ortberg's book "An Ordinary Day with Jesus." The first session was titled Living in Jesus' Name and brought up the idea that we are called to live our daily ordinary life with Jesus in mind.
Colossians 3:17 (God's Word) Everything you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Part of the deal is to realize that God is ever present in our 24/7 lives even though we often miss seeing him (think: the two men on the road to Emmaus and how they did not recognize Jesus although he was right there with them). An exercise that Ortberg believes is helpful is to review the events of the day in our mind before going to sleep. I thought it was a very practical idea and so below is the exercise for you to try. Let me know if it is helpful to living your ordinary life in Jesus' name.

Review the Day with God
1. Be still and quiet your mind of distracting thoughts.
2. Acknowledge Jesus' presence and invite him to guide you.
3. Recall the beginning of the day when you first awoke and review that scene as if on video. What is your reaction to it? Talk to God about you reaction.
4. Do this same review going from scene to scene through out that day and reflect on each one (some scenes may fill you with gratitude and others with regret). Whatever your reflection reveals to you talk to God about it and those involved.
5. End your review by thanking God for his mercy and love and ask him to refresh you with a good night of sleep.

Two results should come to anyone who does this exercise:
. You will become aware of any recurring negative patterns that will
--cause you to grow tired of the regrets
--increase your desire to mature and change.
. You will begin to be awed by His presence in the ordinary moments of your life.

Roger, over and out!

A Spent Day

Yesterday was my day off and I got to spend it doing what I wanted to do. My morning began by going to Cracker Barrel and enjoying breakfast. I got “Mama’s Pancake Breakfast” which included three pancakes, three strips of bacon, two eggs over medium and coffee. Mmmmmm, that was sure good. After leaving CB I went to Wal-Mart to get some golf balls and golf tees so that I can start the process of losing them because I had successfully lost my previous set of balls and tees. Golf is sure a strange game but more about that later. I then went to the post office to send a package of stuff to my favorite grandson, Ethan. Actually, he is my only grandson but that is beside the point. I then finally headed home to do some bathroom calking and play with the dog.


Three-thirty pm finally rolled around and I was at the Newport News golf course for a date with my son Aaron to play 9 holes of pasture pool. I will never be very good at this game nor will I even rise to mediocrity. I do however, enjoy getting my moneys worth by seeing how many times I can hit a little white ball between holes. BTW: On the 8th hole I may have set a course record for strokes (more is better, right)! Our game was played along side an older golfer who kindly showing us the error of our ways. We told him that we were not really golfers and he humbly told us he was not either but then showed Aaron and I that there is a difference between being honest and being humble. He patiently gave us some pointers that really seemed to work…when we applied them. It is amazing to me that anyone can have the patience he had and still look as if he were having fun in spite of his fellow hackers.
After leaving the golf course behind I headed back home and spent the evening with Keri…well sort of. She let me watch the West Virginia verses Pitt (I hate Pitt) basketball game in which the Mountaineers totally destroyed Pitt (yeah!!!) and then let me watch Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I do not deserve such a wonderful wife, and that is the truth!!!
Many of you are probably thinking…wow, what a waste of a day! I must admit that every day with this type of schedule would be a waste but from time to time, it ain’t so bad. Soooo, what would you have done? How do you spend your time off from work?

Eccl 9:7-9 (MSG) Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure! 8 Dress festively every morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves. 9 Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one!

Roger, over and out!

Winterfest 2008

We had 16 go to Winterfest from Denbigh this year (8 teens, 4 college age students and 4 chaperones). The entire trip was a blessing from God from the point we left Denbigh until we returned. Our accommodations were first class as Keri spent countless hours on the internet checking out just the right place for us to stay. While we were in Gatlinburg, we met many friends from other youth groups and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather (70 degrees on Saturday).


The theme for Winterfest this year was “The Mission” and Jeff did a great job reminding us of why we need to tell others about Jesus. The Friday night session was all about KNOWING JESUS. Without us knowing Him we cannot be a good witness to others, first things first. On Saturday we had two sessions about BEING JESUS AND SEEING JESUS. Jeff used the scripture passage in Matthew 25:34—40 as a reference for us to act whenever and wherever we see Jesus. Finally, on Sunday…very early in the morning we gathered for worship with 7,000 of our closest brothers and sisters for worship (early session). During that session, we were all given a challenge to carry our red “The Mission” bibles with us to school for 30 days. Following those 30 days we are to then give the bible away to someone who needs to hear God’s message.

Along with the insightful lessons we were led in worship by Jerome Williams and the Praise Team from Rochester Church of Christ. We also experienced a great concert by Kutlass on Friday night and “The Sandman” who created works of art from sand while we watched in amazement.

There were so many different ways in which we were encouraged at Winterfest and it just reminded me of why we go there every year. Thanks to everyone who helped with this trip, especially the parents who encourage their teens to attend. There will be updated photos soon on our church website of our trip so check them out. We are already looking forward to next year!

What memories do you have from going to Winterfest?

Five Habits to Strengthen Your Marriage

Valentine’s Day is next week and I thought I would mention 5 habits that we all need to improve to strengthen our marriages. Everyone has heard that communication is important in any relationship, but just how do we do it? These five simple but crucial skills by Virginia Satir can make bad relationships good and good relationships even better. As with any habit though, these five tips need to be done consistently over a set period of time, whether they feel fake at the moment or not. Most of the time when we begin something new or different it does not come naturally and seem forced but the habit is worth it.
• Appreciations: Share five things you appreciate about each other. These can range from the simple "I like your smile" to the sublime "I like it that you were able to kiss and make up after I forgot to pick you up last night." Appreciations build up credit in the love bank. It can be a nice surprise to realize just how much our partners notice and appreciate.
• Wishes, Hopes, and Dreams: Describe three things you hope for in the long run ("I hope to complete a marathon by the time I'm 40") and in the short run ("This week-end I'd like to spend a half-hour alone with my dad when he visits.") A partner who understands your dreams is able to help them happen. Remember that hopes change as we go along and it's important to keep each other current.
• New Information: We often forget to update our partner about a change in plans or circumstances. We tell people at work or a family member and think we've told our spouse. Make the daily updates a ritual. Information like "The dentist said Bobby won't need braces after all" or "I'll have to be in San Francisco an extra day" is crucial to staying in-synch and feeling connected.
• Puzzles: Clear-up big or little mysteries before they become suspicions, jealousy, false assumptions, or resentments. Most "puzzles" have simple explanations. "You promised you'd water the tomatoes before you left this morning. What happened?" "The water was turned off. Was it back on when you got up?" You have to ask.
• Complaints with Request for Change: Get in the habit of saying what you want rather than what you don't want. Describe a specific behavior that bothers you and explain how you'd like it done. Instead of "I get furious when you call and don't leave a message," say, "Honey, when you call and get the machine, please don't say 'It's me' and hang up. Say why you're calling, and when you'll call back, or be home, or whatever it was you were calling to tell me." If you forget to say why you were calling. Call back. Even if it's long distance. It's an inexpensive investment in your marriage. Cheaper than a dozen roses.

Great relationships occur in the daily gift of sacrifice and in the way the person receiving the gift needs it given. Matthew 7:12 says… “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,…”

DO you have any other advice for married or soon to be married couples? We can all use some help from others!

Roger, over and out!

As I was reading through a blog on The Center of Parent and Youth Understanding (CPYU) I came across the concept of youth and worship and thought I would pass on a portion of it to you. It was written by Walt Mueller, the creator of CPYU and you can read the entire blog at (www.cpyu.org/page.aspx?id=76960). His questions and proverbs are very insightful. Let me know what you think and if there are any other questions/proverbs that ought to be considered.

Roger, over and out


...In preparation for the seminar, we were all asked to submit the top three questions churches should be asking regarding youth and worship, and our top three Proverbs that should ground the church’s work in this area (for some strange reason I submitted four). Attendees were then to work at tables to add to, subtract from, and refine our suggestions, the results of which will be posted at some point on the Symposium website.

I thought I’d pass on my questions and Proverbs. Perhaps they’ll spark some thought and discussion in your church. As you will see, most of them grow out of my concern for fostering a culturally captive understanding of the faith by segregating the full Body of Christ apart from one another in worship.

My questions:
1. What must we do to facilitate intergenerational understanding that results in a willingness to gracefully participate together in corporate worship that is diverse (not catering exclusively to one generational demographic) and meaningful?

2. What must we do to enable the emerging generations to experience the wonder and awe of doing life together (both give and take) while integrated into the full Body of Christ, particularly in the context of corporate worship?

3. What must we do to enable meaningful intergenerational interaction and deep long-term mentoring relationships that are initiated by adults with youth in a manner that facilitates fully integrated (all of life) spiritual growth and formation?

My Proverbs:
1. Those who age-segregate worship, spoil the child.
2. To understand “worship” as merely singing or one hour of corporate gathering, is to not understand worship at all.
3. The one who acts justly, loves mercy, and walks humbly before God is a true worshipper, integrating faith into all of life.
4. God is the audience in worship. Not me.