A Graceland Fairytale

Once upon a time...there was a man named Bubba. He lived in two worlds- this planet we all occupy together and a wondrous place called Graceland. Now you won't find Graceland on a regular map, and if you Google it you'll probably be told it was the house Elvis lived in. This was not that Graceland. This was a very different kind of place...

Bubba, being human and not any kind of magical creature, made mistakes in his life. Some were bad, some were not so bad, but they were mistakes. One was so bad that he was locked in the Tall Tower of the dreaded castle Hillsborough County for 7 years, where the local friendly gargoyles made sure he didn't leave until he had been properly punished for what he had done. In the beginning Bubba was very sad and often without hope. But somewhere along the way he remembered something VERY important. He was a citizen of Graceland, and no matter what else was happening in his world he would be OK. You see, Bubba knew the KING. The KING had already called Bubba by name, and had forgiven him for the things he had done. This made Bubba very special, but not at all unique. The KING of Graceland offers grace and forgiveness to everyone. We just have to accept it. 

Then word came from the Royal Court that Bubba was to be freed from the Tall Tower. He could once again travel throughout the land, doing things he had not done and seeing people he had not seen. And so Bubba began to cross drawbridges and expereince life all over again as a free man. He traveled to the magical land of Tropicana Field to see his beloved Tampa Bay Rays play baseball...

He traveled to mystical Clearwater Beach with his fair maiden to eat a REALLY good blackened grouper sandwich and some conch fritters...

And then yesterday Bubba found his way back to his Happy Place, where he visited with Pirates and Ghosts- but more importantly walked down Main Street again with his family and friends in a place where he has shared so many memories with so many people over the years. Word has it that our friend Bubba got a little teary-eyed...

So many people were so happy for Bubba, and they congratulated him on his new found freedom- which was indeed an amazing thing. And the joy Bubba felt as he explored his new life was not to be denied. But the truth is this- the real freedom in his life had been confirmed years before, when he was reminded that the KING of Graceland loved HIM. That all he had done was forgiven and forgotten because of the King's Son. That regardless of what life in this world might throw at him, his happily-ever-after was already assured because of the love of the KING. And so at the end of his magical weekend of travel and rejuvenation, Bubba simply fell into bed and thanked the KING for a life full of blessings and the grace he could never earn or deserve. And then our friend Bubba- with dreams of more adventures and more people who need to know about the wonders of Graceland still dancing in his head- slept like a rock. 

So what's the point of this Graceland Fairytale? Embrace the magic that comes from living in God's grace and spending time with the KING. And always...ALWAYS...remember to say thank you to a God who loves you beyond all measure and to the friends and family who help you to never forget that fact. Have a blessed week, fellow travelers!

Because of Jesus,

Low Sunday

The Sunday after Easter (and the one after Christmas) is known in church circles as Low Sunday. Not a year goes by that this day doesn't remind of this story...

The spring of 2001 found me serving the Union Church of Hinsdale in the western suburbs of Chicago. A large, very traditional church, we had just celebrated Easter with great pomp and circumstance. A huge crowd had filled the building to overflow. Trumpets played, handbells rang out and choirs sang. It was quite a spectacle. The following Sunday one of our Associate Pastors, a young man named Mark Toole, was preaching. Mark was one of my favorite staff members I ever worked with, both as a pastor and as a person. He currently teaches world religions at High Point University in NC. I was sitting up in the pulpit area with Mark, as I was the scripture reader that day. Mark rose and looked at the crowd, which was sparse, certainly compared to the previous week. He addressed the congregation with the following thoughts (my paraphrase): Remember last Sunday? Remember how the choir processed in with the trumpets playing? Remember the amazing sound of a full choir and the great handbells? Remember how amazing you all sounded as we proclaimed that Christ the LORD is Risen Today? Remember how the crowd filled not only the sanctuary, but the overflow area as well? It was truly a wonderful day and the people of this community filled Union Church. So today I just have one more question. All of that captures the feel of what Mark said. His next question is a direct quote that I will never forget. He paused, starred into the crowd and asked loudly and firmly, "So where the hell are they?"  The congregation erupted in snickers and gasps and outright laughter (that would be me...). The point he went on to make, at least in my mind, was very basic. How can, each year and all over the world, so many people hear the message of the resurrection and then go back to living life as if it never happened? It's not about church attendance- in fact my family is missing church today- it's about PASSION! Why are we more concerned with beating the Baptists to the best lunch spots than forgiving our friend who hurt us? Why is it that so many people walk away from our churches each week saying "What a nice service" instead of proclaiming "Jesus is alive...and THAT IS AWESOME!" I wish I knew the answer, or even understood how such things can happen. Thanks Mark, for stepping out of the box for a moment that never fails to remind me that Jesus is to celebrated every day!  I mean really...how can you have a "Low Sunday" when you are walking with the Savior?

Because of Jesus,

Saturday Shout Outs!

It's almost May- can you believe it? Seems like just yesterday I was trying to #SaveThanksgiving!  But 2014 rolls along, with lots of exciting news and lots of good reasons for another edition of my Saturday Shout Outs!  If fact there is so much shouting to do today I may be hoarse when I'm done. So let's get the ball rolling- and remember, if you have news to share, a prayer request or a cause to lift up, let me know. My blog readers are family to me, even if I've never met ya!

• So many of us from the FUMC-Kissimmee were saddened this week by the passing of Beth McKenna, wife of Mark and mother to Brooks and Nolan. Mark was part of the best dang youth ministry team ever during my years at First Church, and Beth was always a huge support to me as well. I saw them last year at the reunion and knew she had been fighting illness, but she was in great spirits and seemed to be getting stronger. Her passing was rather sudden. A memorial service will be held May 3rd, 2 PM at the church. Mark shared on Facebook that Beth had always said she wanted no one to wear black at a celebration of her life; the more bright colors the better! I think Hawaiian shirts would bring a big smile to Beth's face...I'm just sayin! Our prayers go out to the family and the many lives she impacted. Beth will be missed.
• Our friend Karen Chester (Springfield Friends Meeting) discovered an old picture of her family, the Lori Cox family and our family at WDW in 1994 last week. It was a reminder of the many great times we shared with so many wonderful people at the Disney parks over the years. Karen and Lori, (and Jimmy & Jeff!) we miss you guys!
• Had a great lunch on Wednesday with my good friend Todd Willis (FUMC-K). Always great to catch up with Todd and share a little bit of our hopes and dreams with each other. And I can't wait to see his lovely wife Kristin so we can get serious about her take on all things How I Met Your Mother! She's another big fan...
• Please keep Susan McBane Tuggle (Quaker Lake Camp) and her family in your prayers. Her mother fell and broke her ankle last weekend and is having a hard time with recovery.
• Does anyone on all of Facebook post cuter pictures of her kids than Meagan Hill Halquist (FUMC-K)? Seriously, almost every day there is an "awwwwww" worthy picture!
• Continued prayers for Ashley Goad (Springfield Friends) who is once again working with a team bringing fresh water wells to Haiti. 
• Many of you know that Teresa Reep Tysinger (FUMC-K) is one of my favorite people in the world...but for right now, she is only the 2nd coolest person in her family! Her husband Eric, a stage manager, is currently working on rehearsals for a new musical on Broadway called The Last Ship- and currently he is in the same room as STING (who wrote the music for the show) almost every day! How awesome is that! And while we're talking about Reeps (and you can never talk about "too many Reeps") Teresa's sister Cyndi Reep Browning and her family moved into a new home this week, even as Cyndi is nursing a badly sprained ankle. No unpacking for her- good work, Reep! But seriously, keep Cyndi in your prayers.
• My little sis from Twitter, Jenn Ganley, is going to be at WDW next week and it looks like I am going to finally get to met Jenn and her family. So stoked to start seeing some of my Twitter friends face-to-face in the months ahead!
• Almost every week I hear from a former youth who remembers something we did as part of a youth ministry, and those stories often end with "I can't believe we did that!" This weeks memory- playing Centipede and having shopping cart races in the K-Mart parking lot at 2 am during a Rec Around the Clock. Yep...these are my people!
• I'm thinking about a Springfield Friends youth ministry reunion (1986-1994) in August. Anyone interested?
• Some of you may have heard that Jennifer Minnigan Kuramochi (FUMC-K) and her husband Jun will be closing their sushi restaurant in Clearwater after tonight. While disappointed, they are bouncing back in a hurry and ready to try life with actual weekends and nights off! Please keep them in your prayers and they face a new and exciting future together. And Jun...Rays game. Soon! :)
• Thanks to prodding from my dear friend Denise, I have been toying around with writing a novel based on the adventures of the group of friends I had in NC back in my late teens an early 20's and the incredible bonds we shared- and in some ways still share. I'm thinking of calling it Amazing Stories of the Society of Secret Shriners. What do you think, gang? "Coy... dadblame it this here is Bubba!" It's time to break out your fez...
• I am so proud of so many of my former youth for the way they live their lives, raise their families and serve God. But I am continuously amazed by all that Kelly Jeck Trace (FUMC-K) does for her church, her friends and her community.
• Had a long talk with my "seasoned (but never old!)" friend Donna Haynes Myers (Quaker Lake Camp, New Garden Friends, Guilford College...geez we had a lot of connections!) yesterday. I think we reached three conclusions- we had a lot of great friends back in the day, QLC was an amazing place, and while we remember facts from the old days, the dates are lost forever the dark misty corners of all our minds! Thanks for a great visit, Donna!
• Marilyn and I noticed last week while looking at a few old pictures that Ann Saunders Hale (Springfield Friends) looks about the same now as she did in the early 90's. We are happy FOR Ann. We are not happy ABOUT it!  Show off! :)
• I am starting to get serious about planning a couple of big trips to cross more than one bridge at a time. Still not sure when or where. However, I am currently accepting bribes to add YOU to my short list!

So that's all for now. Have a blessed weekend, and remember- Easter didn't end last Sunday. We are a resurrection people every day!

Because of Jesus,

30/30: Twelve Interesting Facts About Me

The 30/30 Vision Blog Challenge returns today after taking a week of for Good Friday, and the prompt is simple- 12 interesting facts about me. Like most people, I don't find myself to be all that interesting, but since that is order of the day I shall attempt to come up with a dozen things that are at least semi-noteworthy. Here we go...

1. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out.
2. I would love to try my hand at professional improv comedy. I've been doing it in real life situations forever- it would be fun to give it a try on stage with some experts in the field!
3. I only have 7 toes.
4. As I grow older the thing I fear losing the most is my memory. Not only do I love telling old stories and sharing wisdom from days gone by, but I am often responsible for helping my oldest friends remember what happened to them in their younger days as well. I am so thankful to be blessed with a mind that retains those moments of great joy and sorrow.
5. I have seen the Pacific Ocean in California, Washington, Oregon and Mexico...but I have never been swimming in it.
6. Despite all of my injuries and ailments over my lifetime, I have yet to break a bone. Knock on wood.
7. I play the guitar. I sang in school choruses and ensembles in jr. high and high school. I was in numerous church choirs over the years and led worship at national youth events. I have written close to 100 songs, words and music. And I cannot read a note of music...
8. Aside from loving people in the name of Jesus there is nothing that brings me more joy than making people laugh.
9. Aside from The Godfather Part 2 and The Empire Strikes Back, I believe the greatest true sequel in the history of movies is The Lion King 1 1/2. 
10. I am 54 years old and am still in touch with friends I have known for over 40 years. To me, that's an accomplishment.
11. I am not much of a cook except for 3 things: Sausage Balls, Fudge, & Shrimp and Crab Casserole. 
12. I have been to paradise. It's also known as Spanish Wells, the Bahamas. And I've been twice. That may just make me better than you.  :)

So there you have it- 12 things about me that at least interest me! What do you find most interesting about yourself? I'd love to hear!

Because of Jesus,

We're Already Enough

We all have (or at least I have) books, movies and songs that seldom come to mind, but when they do we think to ourselves, "OH YEAH! I love that one!!!"  Over the past couple of months I have had that moment with three different movies. The first was Being There,  the 1979 classic starring Peter Sellers. It's the story of a simpleton gardener who finds himself alone in the world after his millionaire boss dies and the estate where they both lived is sold. Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, this plain man who speaks only in gardening terms and with lines he learned from TV shows becomes a consultant to the wealthy and powerful who find him to be incredibly wise. Even his name gets transformed- he tells people he is Chance, the gardener and before he knows it he is Chauncey Gardner. He does absolutely nothing to try be someone he is not or change who he is, but people see the best in him. They crave his simple words of wisdom. They want him to run for President. In the end he is "exposed," and the last we see of him he is walking on water- because he doesn't know he can't. Chance never does one single thing to better himself or to impress people. It just happens.

The second movie hit me yesterday, when it occurred to me that Chariots of Fire may be the least shown movie that ever won the Oscar for best picture in the history of cable TV. I suspect people are more familiar with the theme song from the film than the actual movie itself. But I love it and always have. It is a great story of faith, but it is also a story of trying to find happiness (and perhaps even salvation?) through accomplishments. The British sprinter Harold Abrahams reaches the Olympics and wins a gold medal, but freely acknowledges that he is still chasing something- and he has no idea what. His success does nothing to help him feel whole, while his rival Eric Liddell runs for the glory of God and feels victorious before even taking the track. The contrast is stark, and makes for a very compelling movie.

The final film that I thought of was Cool Runnings. It was the Olympics that brought this film to mind and reminded me how much I love it. So much, in fact, that I was tempted to watch it on VHS- the only version in which we own it! As great as the story of the bobsled team is, equally intriguing to me is the story of their coach, played by the late John Candy. He had once cheated to try and win a gold medal and was caught. Now, as his team seeks to do something no Jamaican had ever done before, he has to remind them that winning does not make or break who you are in life. His famous line- "A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without the medal, you'll never be enough with it" - speaks to me very clearly about some of my own goals. We all know people who spend their lives chasing a goal, only to achieve their dream and discover they had missed too many of life's great joys in order to get there. The question becomes this- which is more important to us, the journey or the destination?

Each of these great films, while very different in tone and content, speak to that question for me. I believe in praying big prayers and dreaming big dreams. I believe in having goals. But I also believe that those goals should be part of finding God's will for our lives. These movies remind us that if we base our lives around looking, feeling and being important, then we are likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if we be who we are- who God created us to be- and follow Jesus on the wild ride of discipleship- life can be full of unexpected joy. Life is not about power, prestige, money or possessions. It's not about awards, medals or grand successes. God created to us to live with joy if we live in love. Jesus came so that we might live an abundant (full) life, which is not the same as a life of abundance. I want to be like Chance the Gardener, being myself no matter what that might bring me. I want to be like Eric Liddell, living life for the glory of God instead of chasing after some dream or goal that I think will complete me. And most importantly I want to understand that there is really nothing more I need in life to feel like I'm enough. I am not defined by what I do, what I have or what I accomplish. As the late Rich Mullins wrote, "I believe what I believe is what makes me what I am. I did not make it, no it is making me- it is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man." I believe God created me. Jesus forgives me. My friends and family love me. No matter what else happens in my life, I'm already enough.

Because of Jesus,

#DangerDays: Andrea Ward's Story Part 2

This is my friend Andrea Ward's second guest post in the #DangerDays series, and just like the first one, it's gonna blow you away! You can follow Andrea on Twitter @citrus_sunshine and visit her blog (which I HIGHLY recommend!) at http://jesusyoume.blogspot.com/. Now if I can just get her hubby Drew to write one as well. He knows all about danger and adversity. He's a New York Mets fan....

The Danger of Staying Home

I think most every Christian has faced the fear of being called to a strange foreign country as part of their service to God. That is dangerous service and those that go are the brave servants. My friend, who didn't speak Albanian, went to Albania for 2 years. A girl I grew up with went on a mission trip around the world and then settled in the Philippines. Those girls are living out a radical and dangerous faith. I'm certainly not included in that group. All I did was go to college, become a teacher, get married, and have two kids. There isn't any danger there. Or so I thought.

I wrote a post several weeks ago about my husband and I following God to a new church and to a new job for him. Based on that fact one would think I had redefined dangerous in my life. Unfortunately, my fickle heart and scattered brain have difficulty holding on to some concepts. So when I saw someone on Instagram taking about his family moving overseas, I thought about how he was really living out a dangerous faith. Then God derailed my train of thought. He emphasized the notion that staying home can be just dangerous.

How so?

It is no secret that we live in a country that prides itself and it's citizens on their ability to do it themselves. I see many people my age and older struggling to get to the next thing. Maybe that thing is a promotion or a bigger house or a nicer car or some other self imposed goal. So when I don't live that way or believe that way I stick out.

When you plant yourself in one place for a long time, you have the chance to see change become a new normal. And that new normal isn't just in my life.

I attend a Bible study that started in a tattoo studio ministering to addicts. Today it meets in the back room of a local restaurant and ministers to whoever walks through the doors. Through that Bible study I have connected with recovering addicts, the homeless, the elderly, some kids, and some 'normal' people. I have seen people get jobs, homes, and healing. I have seen some lose their way and find it back again.

Recently we saw a former youth of ours. This past Sunday he served as an usher. We have seen him grow from an angry surly teen into a young man going to NC State to be a veterinarian. He went from only being willing to run the projector at the back of the sanctuary to serving as an usher. He went from cursing God to having a faith strong enough to ask questions and watch for answers.

Now we are waiting on God to tell us what the next big thing is, and yes we have been told by multiple people it will be big. In the meantime, we are raising our two kids, enjoying family time and loving those around us.

Isn't it dangerous to stay when it gets hard because God told you to fight? Isn't it dangerous to walk away and wait for God to tell you what is next? Isn't it dangerous to stay in one place and keep reaching out? I think so and I think I will.

Crossing the Bridge

Because many of you have asked, I just thought I should tell you...I did it! On Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the final paperwork was done, I drove myself across the bridge to Clearwater. Technically it was not a bridge, it was the Courtney Campbell Causeway. But you get the point. I was out of the county without permission. Because I NO LONGER NEED IT! 

And what wonders awaited me on the other side? Rain as I walked along the bay. The actual original Hooter's. And our closest Joe's Crab Shack which has taunted me these past 7 years. Clearwater Beach was only 8 more miles, but because of spring break crowds that would have taken another 45 minutes to drive. So I left that adventure for another day...

So what does it all mean? Almost nothing! But every now and then life requires us to take baby steps, and crossing that bridge was my first baby step. The second was eating that night at a Buffalo Wild Wings 15 minutes from our house, but previously forbidden fruit because it is in another county. Staying out past 10 PM for the first time since March 20, 2007 (albeit just to pick up Will from Chick-fil-A) was another. There are mores steps to come, and some of them will be giant steps. I look forward to writing some travel blogs in the near future. And I look forward to seeing so many of you.

But even if I don't take big trips anytime soon, I know they are coming. As hard as it is, I have to be patient. You can only cross one bridge at a time. My friend and youth ministry mentor J. David Stone wrote these words as the chorus to a song in 1981, and they have been ringing in my head this week:

Cross over the bridge when you come to it

Don't worry when you're miles away

Can't live tomorrow before it comes

Today's enough for today.

Or to paraphrase the great hymn, One bridge at a time, sweet Jesus! And let the blessings of this day be enough for me. Tomorrow we celebrate Jesus' victory over the grave and the coming of grace into each of our lives. There is no greater blessing that that! 

Because of Jesus,