porchpondering.com

Prognostication

As you can see from my earlier post, I'm not that good at predicting the future. "Little Miss Sunshine" failed to capture the Oscar for Best Picture and Abigail Bresli lost out to Jennifer Hudson. Since I wasn't an early fan of American Idol, I didn't realize that Jennifer was actually rejected by the people in season 3. That's a laugh! She has an incredible voice and a personality to match. I'm glad she won.

On Sunday we had the best annual meeting I've ever had in the church. Rather than adding another meeting to the week, we simply incorporated the important elements into the service. The best part for me was the video produced by John Lubushkin. It's too long to post on YouTube so I've included a link to a QuickTime version HERE.

So you wanna know my prediction for the future? Shall I go out on a limb with a bit of pronostication? This is going to be the best year ever for Village Presbyterian Church! We've made a great start and I'm really excited about what God has in store for us.

Opening Day

Today is Opening Day for Ladera Ranch Little League. Too bad Andy is stuck home with a grinding sore throat. I thought he'd be better for pictures but I was wrong. It's hard for me to hang around the house on such a beautiful day. Go Padres!

I got a dozen new signs to put up in the neighborhood to let people know about when and where we gather for worship. I put a few up near the Sports Park and two of them disappeared. Guess someone didn't like our signs. I hope they'll show up...the signs or the people who took them. Maybe they just didn't want to forget when and where we meet. Yea, that's it.

At the service tomorrow, we'll be incorporating our Annual Meeting into the regular worship service. Don't worry, it won't be all business. I think it will be a good blend. You can get a copy of the report here. We also have some video of people talking about what they like most about the church. It's good. It's going to be a great Sunday.

The reason we're doing the meeting during the service instead of after the service is because last year, most people didn't bother to stick around for a special meeting. And yet I think it's important for us to take time to consider where we've been so that we can be clear about where we need to go.

As for the Oscars tomorrow night, here are my picks:

Best Picture: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker
Best Actress: Helen Mirren

And I hope Abigail Bresli brings it home for Supporting Actress even as I expect Al Gore will get one for his documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." Okay, you've heard it here. These are my Saturday night picks.

Amazing Pictures

Rick Brotherton took these pictures for Bethany's Gait a few days ago.

Amazing Grace

I have a strong aversion to people using the church as a marketing tool. Such manipulation was clearly evident a few years ago in the promotion of a certain Mel Gibson film.

I don't really need to say more about that but I will say something about a new movie I'm interested in. It's called "Amazing Grace." It's the story of William Wilberforce, the great abolitionist. The movie is being released tomorrow, February 23. You can view the trailer here.

I haven't seen it yet. I didn't get free tickets. No one contacted me to ask me to promote the film (thankfully). If it's a good movie then I hope it does well at the box office. I know from the church history I've read, Wilberforce was a bold man. He didn't shy away from the issues of his day but, guided by his faith in Jesus Christ, he engaged them. I only hope the movie tells the story in a way that is worthy of the man.

Bread, Popcorn and Chocolate

On Sunday we did more than gather around a table in a metaphorical sense, we slowed down long enough to sit at a table together, 6 at a time, and share the bread, the cup and prayer together. The feedback I received about it was overwhelmingly positive. Even my son, Matthew, said something about it at breakfast this morning. He generally doesn't say much in relation to church. We won't serve the Lord's Supper that way all the time but we will serve that way again.

The long holiday weekend gave us some time to catch up on movies we hadn't seen. I've dropped my Netflix subscription because I found the DVDPlay kiosk in Pavilions. We watched three films that are contenders on Sunday:

"The Devil Wears Prada" (funny, thought-provoking, made me glad I don't work in the fashion industry)

"Flags of Our Fathers" (good; confirms that war is hell in every generation)

"The Departed" (gruesome with plenty of blood splatter...not on my top 10 list; it might be Scorsese's year or not)

I'll be pulling of "Little Miss Sunshine" on Sunday. It's the story of how love works and doesn't work in a really messed up family. I absolutely loved it. I also appreciated the beautiful combination of a road trip and Volkswagen van. The language is a bit strong but it's a movie adults should see (not for kids).

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten journey to Easter. I'm not sure what I'll give up or what new practice I might be taking on. Any ideas? I recently stopped checking email after 6 p.m. I think that was a step in the right direction. How shall I mark this season?

Gathering @ the Table

The extended school vacation means that many will be traveling to places beyond Ladera Ranch this weekend. I saw several cars packed with skis and snowboards in the store parking lot today. Even so we're gathering around the Lord's Table on Sunday. It might not be a banner day in terms of big attendance numbers but that's not the point, is it? It's never the point, really. The most important thing is connecting with the Lord and with one another as often as we gather in the name of Jesus. We're going to set the table on Sunday. We'll sing, pray, listen for the Word, eat, drink, give, serve and receive. I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see you there! Remember, there's always room for one more at the table of the Lord.

Caring for Creation

We're back with Netflix, for now. Hopefully, this means we'll aways have a good movie at hand when we find time to watch. For the past week "An Inconvenient Truth" has been begging for attention. Last night we finally made time to watch it. I had avoided it because I thought it would be depressing and it features Al Gore, a person I've always thought of as a bit stiff. I was wrong on both accounts.

I must admit I was sympathetic to the issue before I saw the movie. It's amazing to me that anyone can discount the impact our energy-consuming lifestyles are having on the world at large. I include myself in the camp of those who "need to improve" in relation to the environment.

If you haven't yet seen this movie, you need to! You need to watch it in relation to God's call upon your life to be a steward of creation (see Genesis 1:27-28; Psalm 24:1). You'll discover that Al Gore is an incredible speaker! I was deeply touched by his use of two personal illustrations, one about his son and one about his sister. He didn't exploit the stories but they helped to make his point and they offered a glimpse into the heart of loving and thoughtful man. So also, Gore not only creates a compelling case in relation to global warming, but he also offers a long list of action items. The movie ends with a hopeful word. To learn more, check out this website.

It is my deep conviction that Christians should care as much about the environment as do scientists. After all, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it on the waters" (Psalm 24:1-2). Does that make me an environmentalist? I hope so. I care about the environment of my own home. If I make a mess in the kitchen, I clean up after myself (most of the time). So too, I care about the conditions that other people face in different parts of the world. It betrays my commitment to love my neighbor as myself if I toss my trash into someone else's backyard. Perhaps it's time for us consider the impact our choices are having on the world at large. Just a few thoughts. What do you think? How does your faith influence the way you care for creation? Did you see the movie? What did you think?

Round Table Conversations

In recent months I've been dreaming about ways to make the message on Sunday morning more of a communal encounter with God's Word. As a preacher, I enjoy the time I spend in the Scriptures preparing to give, hopefully, a helpful message. But there are times when I would love to be able to probe the minds of others before I show up on a Sunday morning. How does the text excite or challenge or comfort us? What does it say about the nature of God? How does it relate to the way we live throughout the week? I would love to gather with a small group of people committed to wrestling with Scriptures and sorting through the connections to life, especially the unique challenges we face here in Orange County. My latest plan is this: opening my home twice a month on Tuesday nights for "round table conversations." I'll do some prep prior to the meeting and I want to invite others to do the same. Then we'll come together and talk about the assigned passage for the coming week. I'm confident it would be a great help to this growing preacher. You can download a flyer for the first series of meetings by clicking here. And I'm serious about the round table part...there will be no experts at the table, only seekers who long to live more devoted to Jesus.

Romans for Everyone

I find inspiration in many places throughout the week. I get happy whenever I have a chance to paddle out and catch a few waves. There hasn't been much out there lately but on Wednesday I enjoyed paddling out with my son Matthew. He caught a few good waves and I was inspired.

I was also inspired today because of a small group of men who shook the sleep from their eyes in the early morning to gather together to talk about God, Paul's letter to the Romans and life in general. With a coffee cup in one hand and the text in the other, we do our work together. Our study in Romans is helped tremendously by the work of Tom Wright who wrote a small commentary on Romans (see picture). We spend time reading the passage and then we talk about what it has to say to us today. I find this kind of conversation inspiring. Directed by the Scriptures and encouraged by my brothers in Christ, I'm learning how to honor God.

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