Saturday Shouts Outs: All Kissimmee Edition!

Welcome to the all Kissimmee edition of my Saturday Shout Outs!  I am sorry to leave out my many other friends this time around, but those of us who are alumni of FUMC-K 2994-2000 have a reunion to get busy with and some big news to announce. So let's get busy!!!

• It is time to get SERIOUS about our upcoming reunion!  More planning still needs to be done, but here is the general outline of the big weekend coming April 20-21, 2013! If enough people are interested there were be a family picnic at noon somewhere on the Lake Toho lakefront- bring your own lunch.  There will definitely be an "adults only" dinner on Saturday night; the place and details are TBD, but it will be somewhere in Kissimmee.  Then Sunday morning anyone who can and wishes to will attend worship at FUMC-K together. Right now I need everyone to help get the word out and contact anyone who may be interested to let them know this is coming soon!  Teresa Reep Tysinger (who already has her plane ticket in from Dallas for the event!) will be getting out a Facebook invite soon that will let you make a "reservation" so we can get a head count.  Or you can all or text me at 813-919-3755 with questions or ideas or just to say "YES!" No matter who shows up it will be a great weekend. But it will much better if YOU are there... 
• Lauren Carr Cacciatore and her hubby Brad welcomed Kaley Lauren to the world on January 3, 2013! She was a bit early, but mom and baby are doing well!  Kaley will be in the NICU a bit longer, but will be headed home to her family soon.  Congratulations, Lauren and Brad- and here's hoping Kaley LOVES Kraft mac and cheese just like her mommy!!!
• HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MATTHEW TEOLI!!!
• Cyndi Reep Browning is moving to Alabama!  Her husband Josh has already transferred down for a new job, and Cyndi and Grayson will be joining them once their house sells in NC.  They will be living very close to Ben and Sharon Reep, her parents.  We are praying for them and wishing them all the best in this new adventure!
• Got a comment on one of my older posts about one of our mission trips this week from our old friends in Spanish Wells, the Bahamas! If you were part of one of those mission teams then you will remember the Pinders!  Here's the comment: Hey my name is Lance Pinder from Spanish Wells and my wife is Opal Pinder. We hosted some of you guys in our home.We had a great home. We also bought a group to Kissimmee to visit with your group. Would love to reconnect. I am on Facebook Lance Pinder and my email address is lancepinder@gmail.com. It never ceases to amaze me the impact our little ministry had all over the world!  Give Lance a shout if you have as many fond memories of SW as I do!
• A little poll for you- what was your favorite youth trip you ever participated in?
• Also heard this past week from Jason Ashcraft.  Jason moved away from Kissimmee before I arrived in 1994, but came back that summer to join us on the exciting misadventure that was the Mountaintop Mission Trip. Jason had discovered this blog through Brook Teoli Phelps, and he has a blog himself.  Check out http://learnchangegrow.wordpress.com/2012/12/  and see what Jason is up to!  Any Mountaintop survivor deserves our support!

So that's it for today!  I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a joyous and happy 2013. May it be full of God's richest blessings.  Take care- and spread the word!  The reunion is coming!

Because of Jesus,

SPAM Hunting

I grew up in North Carolina, but for the most part I was a city boy.  I never farmed tobacco or cotton, never raised chickens and almost never went hunting.  For a few Thanksgiving mornings my Dad and I would go squirrel hunting in the woods down around Coleridge in rural Randolph County- with a bow and arrow.  Since neither of us were very accomplished bowmen, those squirrels were the safest animals in the woods.  Neither of us never owned a gun in our lives, so that was the only hunting we ever did. Until...

Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s a group of my friends discovered SPAM hunting.  This was before junk email became spam, back when SPAM was SPAM-  processed meat in a can that could be fried, covered in barbecue sauce or eaten straight from the can.  We always wondered where you mild find the wild SPAM animals that made up this glorious food, so one weekend we decided to go SPAM hunting. Alan (The Flash) Brown had access to a large wooded area (again in Randolph County) and some guns, and a group of us decided to try our hand at hunting the wild beasts.  Seeing (of course) as there is no such thing as a SPAM animal, we decided to create our own.  We hung targets from trees and placed them in bushes.  But these were no ordinary targets. We used old 8-track tapes and albums that we truly hated, as well as old ceramics from our days at Quaker Lake Camp.  I specifically remember a LaBelle album and a Roberta Flack 8-track that were blown to pieces.  At one point we also hunted leftover Halloween jack-o-lanterns.  Whatever we shot at, when we managed to hit them with Alan's 22 rifle or his shotguns, we blew the things to bits.  SPAM was flying everywhere, and we loved it!  We did this on several occasions over the years, and never once was an actual SPAM (or anything else!) harmed as we hunted together.  Those were some great times.

Over the years SPAM continued to play an important role in my life.  One of the youth ministries I served had a food drive for the homeless in which we collected around 700 cans of SPAM to distribute.  I gave away SPAM as a door prize on occasion at youth group.  And in 2002 a mission team from our ministry at Wesley Memorial UMC worked in Washington, DC, as part of the Center for Student Missions. One of the summer inters that year was a young man named Justin Hormel. That's right- Hormel.  His forefathers were the inventors of SPAM. He even had a SPAM t-shirt.  Life has a way of coming full circle, huh?

So why am I sharing all of this today?  Am I the new spokesperson for SPAM, or am I just completely out of things to write about?  Or maybe it is just that guns have been on my mind lately, and I am putting off writing the serious post that needs to be written.  Whatever the case, I encourage you to pick up some SPAM.  Fry it up and slap it on a sandwich.  Only then can you you really appreciate why we wanted to shoot the little critters. And never another living thing...

Because of Jesus,

A Prayer for Spiritual Growth

Ephesians 3:14-20  (NLT)

¹⁴ When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, ¹⁵ the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. ¹⁶ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.¹⁷ Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

²⁰ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Do you understand what this means?  It means that God can do anything.  It means that God uses us to accomplish His will.  And it means that he WILL use us to do far more than we can imagine- if we will just let Jesus take root in our hearts.  God wants us to pray big honkin' prayers and to dream big honkin' dreams.  Check out verse 20.  And get busy living the abundant life through Jesus Christ!

Because of Jesus,

A Magical Mystery Tour

Butch & Sundance

I have already told you the story of our first FUMC-K Mystery Weekend (see Live To Tell), a ridiculously crazy 1996 trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.  In 1998 Jerry Hanbery and I (see picture) decided to do it again.  This time we would replace the wackiness of 18 hours in a van with a more creative approach.   This time it would be a middle school only adventure, and our theme would be "Crazy Times."  And this time, Jerry and I had a serious plan...

We loaded up the vans at 7 PM on Friday, July 31st and hit the road.  This time there were no leaks;  no one on the two vans had any idea where we were going.  We headed north on the Florida Turnpike, and the kids were buzzing about where they thought we might be headed.  We then turned north on I-75, headed towards Ocala.  I was driving the always-iffy blue van, and I had the lead.  The blue van's issues played an important part in our plan.  About 4 miles south of Ocala, I "noticed" that the van seemed to be running hot.  I pulled off the side of the road and Jerry followed me, getting out of the white van to come assist me as I checked under the hood.  We had taped a baggie of water under the hood, and when I poured it on the engine (out of sight of the youth) steam went everywhere.  Jerry and I did some serious moaning and complaining about the "stupid blue van" and then returned to our vans, telling the students that the van was over-heating and that we were going to go ahead and stop for the night so we could try and get it fixed.  We stopped at several motels and I went in to see if they had any rooms (I had a great time telling the front desk clerks what we were doing so the youth could see me having conversations with them), only to return and tell the group there was no vacancy.  The youth were now getting a little nervous.  We finally found rooms at a Super 8 Motel (where, unknown to the youth, we had reservations!) and settled in for the night.  I held a meeting at which I informed the kids that I was going to try to get the van fixed, but that I did not know what the following day would hold.  We might just have to stay in Ocala. I drove off to get the "van fixed" while they enjoyed the pool.  I was not back when Jerry sent them to bed.  They went to bed grumpy.  It was perfect...

The following morning we woke everyone up early and told them to get ready, the van was fixed and we were leaving!  We hurried them, half-asleep, onto the vans and hit the road.  We were hoping that they would be too groggy to notice that we were now heading south on I-75.  And for a while, they were.  Slowly but surely, they begin to notice something had changed.  We stopped at a Burger King for breakfast, and the questions began in earnest.  We got back on the road, and finally some of the youth began to guess our final destination- Busch Gardens in Tampa.  And then- as if a fog was lifting- they began to realize that the entire "breakdown" the night before had all been planned.  We had fooled them completely, and they could not believe it- and a few were not real happy about it.  Jerry and I were giddy- we thought it was one of the best things we had ever done!  We went on to have a great day at the park, and a wonderful weekend, including a great time of worship on Sunday morning.  We wanted to make it memorable, and we had.  It was just one more time when a wild and crazy idea helped some students discover the presence of Jesus in their lives.

I found out a few years later that there were a couple of students on that trip who NEVER got the message that the entire first night had been staged.  I found out when one of them asked me, "Where were we going to go on that Mid-High Mystery Trip before the van broke down?"  And the Oscar goes to Jerry Hanbery and Carl Jones...  Have a blessed weekend everyone!

Because of Jesus,

Lord of the Dance

21st century Americans are big into self-reliance.  We talk about pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.  We invent technology that allows us to have less interaction with human beings. Those who seek help are often seen as weak.  We trust in the power of our own minds and our own skills.  There is nothing wrong with self-confidence and self-esteem.  Except...

Those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ should understand that everything we have, everything we accomplish and everything that we are is a gift from God.  We have not earned anything- our very lives are a gift.  Grace gives us opportunities despite our failures.  We are loved when we are unlovable.  Our lives should not be about us.  They should be all about Jesus.

We have all been given gifts and talents.  Many of us work hard to hone those skills so that they can bring glory to God.  But as Steven Curtis Chapman once wrote, "I am the dancer. You are the LORD of the dance."  And that's the thing we must remember.  We are no good on our own.  We need Jesus.

Below are the lyrics and a video for this classic SC2 song.  Enjoy it.  And remember "who gives purpose to chance..."

"Lord Of The Dance"

On the bank of the Tennessee River

In a small Kentucky town

I drew my first breath one cold November morning

And before my feet even touched the ground

With the doctors and the nurses gathered 'round

I started to dance, I started to dance

A little boy full of wide-eyed wonder

Footloose and fancy free

But it would happen, as it does for every dancer

That I'd stumble on a truth I couldn't see

And find a longing deep inside of me, it said 

I am the heart, I need the heartbeat

I am the eyes, I need the sight

I realize that I am just a body

I need the life

I move my feet, I go through the motions

But who'll give purpose to chance

I am the dancer

I need the Lord of the dance

The world beneath us spins in circles

And this life makes us twist and turn and sway

But we were made for more than rhythm with no reason

By the one who moves with passion and with grace

As He dances over all that He has made

I am the heart, He is the heartbeat

I am the eyes, He is the sight

And I see clearly, I am just a body

He is the life

I move my feet, I go through the motions

But He gives purpose to chance

I am the dancer

He is the Lord of the dance

Lord of the dance

Lord of the dance

And while the music of His love and mercy plays

I will fall down on my knees and I will pray

I am the heart, You are the heartbeat

I am the eyes, You are the sight

And I see clearly, I am just a body

You are the life

I move my feet, I go through the motions

But You give purpose to chance

I am the dancer

You are the Lord of the dance

I am the dancer

You are the Lord of the dance

Seduction By the Numbers

In the institution of the church there are many valid (and sometimes heated) discussions about the main purpose of our ministries.  Is it job one to build and nurture disciples in the church, or is it to reach those who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus?  Should we be focused on the pulpit and the classroom, teaching biblical truths and church history, or should we be sending people out into the world in ministry to "the least of these?"  Should our money be spent on programs, buildings and advertising, or should we be feeding the hungry and reaching out to those in need?  All of these issues and items are a part of the church, and discussions about our focus are needed and often healthy.  But even with all of the legitimate things we need to focus on, we somehow have allowed ourselves to be seduced by a very secular measuring stick for whether a not a church (or a youth ministry) is healthy.  Often the only question that seems to really matter anymore is, "So how many were in attendance?"  

It is quite true that we are called as the Body of Christ to take the gospel to the streets and to make new disciples.  Reaching new people for Jesus is clearly a biblical task.  None of us who are part of a church family can deny the thrill and joy that comes from having people confess Jesus as LORD for the very first time.  And we do love to see our churches grow.  But too often we can be seduced by the numbers.  We have come to believe that a large, growing church or student ministry equals a healthy one.  This is not always true, and we know it.  We all know of cults and mega-churches that do more harm than good. It is just so difficult to resist the lure of the numbers.  I had a youth ministry mentor years ago who warned me that "it is much easier to draw a crowd than to make one disciple."  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't do everything we can to get people through the doors and butts in the pews.  But just filling the room and padding the numbers must NOT be our end goal.  Making disciples and sending those disciples out into the world is what we should be all about.  I have always believed that if we show people the real Jesus, they will be overwhelmed with excitement.  They will want to show up. They will want to bring friends.  In fact, I think it is safe to say that if our churches are healthy, they will grow,  But that is NOT why we do what we do.  We do what we do so that people may know the risen Savior.

So why does it seem like every evaluation of every ministry in the church begins with the question, "How many?"  How many new members did you get this year?  How many do you average in worship?  How many were at youth group Sunday night?  How many are in the choir or the praise team? We ignore the truth that anytime even ONE person comes to Christ there is a party in heaven!  And far too many times if the numbers are not where church leaders thing they should be, the next question is not "Why?"  The next question is "How do we get more people?"  Instead of feeding the sheep we have, we go out and try to buy new ones.  When the issue becomes numbers and not ministry, we have been seduced.  

In my years in student ministry I worked with small groups and I worked with large ones.  Some of the small groups became quite large over times; others did not.  I can look back now and say with great certainty that the groups that grew in numbers were the ones where we took the time and the effort to build relationships with students and nurture them into relationships with Jesus.  We didn't become successful because we grew larger.  We grew larger because we served the Savior. Numbers take care of themselves if we are truly in ministry.

As we begin this new year I have a number I intend to focus on, and I invite you to do the same.  That number is ONE. We bring people into relationship with Jesus and make disciples ONE person at a time.  Imagine there is an empty chair next to you as you pray.  This empty chair sits before the throne of God. Who is it in your life that you need to be reaching out to?  Who is it that you can be a life-changing influence for- not in some pie-in-the-sky kind of way, but in a real and tangible way?  Pray right now that God will use you to help that person fill the empty chair.  Focus your prayers, your love and your time on that person.  Make them your personal ministry.  Also pray that God will use the ministries of your church to change the world for ONE person this week.  Jesus calls on us to change the world- but we do that ONE person at a time.  Let's stop being seduced by the numbers, and remember the power of ONE.

Because of Jesus,

Happy New Year!

Wishing each of you a blessed and joyous

New Year!