Record heat is gripping out nation, driving power grids to their absolute limits, forcing overheated people into the shelter of air-conditioned spaces, and making some of us ponder the blessing of mid-winter snowstorms. Perhaps those last words are a bit of a stretch, though someone told me today that they would much rather have a foot of snow than 114 degree heat indexes. Of course, in the midst of a heat wave, distant memories of blizzards seem a welcome diversion, but in the middle of January...well, that's another story. I suppose we are often wishing for what we don't have...or in comparison, to choose what seems to be the lesser of two evils when caught in the middle of life's extremes.
That great baseball philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said of playing baseball in the worst of the summer heat, "It ain't the heat, it's the humility." Yogi's fractured English aside, meteorologists, in assigning a heat index number, remind us that humidity plays a big part in the extremes of summer. Air temperature may be 100 degrees today, but the humidity will make it feel like 114!!! Yogi's words, however, got me thinking. In the trials and challenges of life, we often use heat as a metaphor for the pressure we find ourselves under. Often, such pressure pushes us to demand personal rights or to try and deflect responsibility away from ourselves to others who may or may not have a role in the difficulty we face. Perhaps Yogi's right...maybe it ain't the heat...maybe it is the humility.
The apostle Paul, a man who had his own struggles with humility, wrote in Philippians 2:3, "When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than yourselves." This Christ-like perspective in the midst of the pressures and challenges of life, is good advice for anyone that desires to honor Christ. When the heat is on, a good lesson of life to remember is, "it ain't the heat...it's the humility.
I leave you with one more Yogiism. Yogi was once told by an admiring fan that he looked cool, to which Yogi responded, "Thanks, you don't look so hot yourself." I hope that you don't look or feel "so hot yourself" over the next few days.
Jim Abernathy
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
PandaMania!
Whew and Wow!!!!
What a week of Pandamania at Westwood!!!! VBS is always a highlight of our church year and this year is no different. More than 200 children have participated along with 110 youth and adult workers. More than $1,800 was received in offerings for our new mission partner, ServeTrust. Those are the numbers and they are phenomenal. But more important are the lives that have been touched this week. It has been a blessing every morning to welcome the children and to see the joy and anticipation on their faces. Whether singing, listening to a Bible Story, making a craft, enjoying a snack, or exercising in recreation, they have been learning about God's love, and that "God is wild about them!" As much as these children have been blessed, I think the youth and adults who have worked alongside them may have been blessed even more! Westwood loves children and it is evident by the sacrifices of time and loving care these workers share, some taking vacation just to be a part of this wonderful week.
I asked everyone to pray last week for VBS and I know you have honored that request. Blessings have abounded, not the least of which is the fact that the air conditioning is still working, even though we thought it might go out at any moment. God, Jack Hix, and Dennis Milam have worked together this week to keep things cool! So many have a hand in making this week such a blessing, including you and your prayers. "Thanks" to the entire Westwood family...with the Spirit's guidance and the faithfulness of God's people, Pandamania will long be remembered as a week of wonder and blessing.
Keep up the prayers as our youth prepare to leave Sunday for Impact. They will be in Buckingham, Va, helping to rehab structures and perhaps rebuild lives. May God's Spirit guide and empower these missionaries next week just as that same Spirit has been at work this week in VBS.
What a week of Pandamania at Westwood!!!! VBS is always a highlight of our church year and this year is no different. More than 200 children have participated along with 110 youth and adult workers. More than $1,800 was received in offerings for our new mission partner, ServeTrust. Those are the numbers and they are phenomenal. But more important are the lives that have been touched this week. It has been a blessing every morning to welcome the children and to see the joy and anticipation on their faces. Whether singing, listening to a Bible Story, making a craft, enjoying a snack, or exercising in recreation, they have been learning about God's love, and that "God is wild about them!" As much as these children have been blessed, I think the youth and adults who have worked alongside them may have been blessed even more! Westwood loves children and it is evident by the sacrifices of time and loving care these workers share, some taking vacation just to be a part of this wonderful week.
I asked everyone to pray last week for VBS and I know you have honored that request. Blessings have abounded, not the least of which is the fact that the air conditioning is still working, even though we thought it might go out at any moment. God, Jack Hix, and Dennis Milam have worked together this week to keep things cool! So many have a hand in making this week such a blessing, including you and your prayers. "Thanks" to the entire Westwood family...with the Spirit's guidance and the faithfulness of God's people, Pandamania will long be remembered as a week of wonder and blessing.
Keep up the prayers as our youth prepare to leave Sunday for Impact. They will be in Buckingham, Va, helping to rehab structures and perhaps rebuild lives. May God's Spirit guide and empower these missionaries next week just as that same Spirit has been at work this week in VBS.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Pray for Vacation Bible School
A Blessed Friday evening to all!
Vacation Bible School begins this Monday...are you ready? For some of you this means preparing lessons, crafts, snacks, recreation, music, transportation for the Springfield Gardens children, etc. for the week. For others, it is about getting your children up and out, along with their friends, to VBS every day. For all of us, it should be about prayer. Pray for our workers and children that God will guide their steps each day to a place of opportunity where learning and blessing are shared. Pray for the parents of these children that God will remind them during these days of eternal truths that last beyond this special week each summer. Pray for these families that what the children learn and experience each day will impact all their lives. Pray for our church that we will be to these children and their families the light of Christ in what for some, may be a very dark place.
This is a week that requires something of all of us. Some will be at their posts every day in the sanctuary, narthex, story room, craft room, nursery, kitchen, playground, and bus. All of us can be at our posts of prayer each day. It will be a great week and you can have a part in making it so!
Jim Abernathy
Vacation Bible School begins this Monday...are you ready? For some of you this means preparing lessons, crafts, snacks, recreation, music, transportation for the Springfield Gardens children, etc. for the week. For others, it is about getting your children up and out, along with their friends, to VBS every day. For all of us, it should be about prayer. Pray for our workers and children that God will guide their steps each day to a place of opportunity where learning and blessing are shared. Pray for the parents of these children that God will remind them during these days of eternal truths that last beyond this special week each summer. Pray for these families that what the children learn and experience each day will impact all their lives. Pray for our church that we will be to these children and their families the light of Christ in what for some, may be a very dark place.
This is a week that requires something of all of us. Some will be at their posts every day in the sanctuary, narthex, story room, craft room, nursery, kitchen, playground, and bus. All of us can be at our posts of prayer each day. It will be a great week and you can have a part in making it so!
Jim Abernathy
Friday, July 1, 2011
A Birthday Present
On Monday we celebrate the 235th birthday of our nation. When invited to parties, it is customary to bring a gift for the one celebrating the birthday...but what does one give his or her country? How should we appropriately recognize such a milestone? Sunday morning in worship we will talk about a July 4th prescription that could easily be our gift to this nation. The text I will use for Sunday morning calls us to humility and prayer, not as a means of civil practice, but personal commitment where service and sacrifice are evident in the way we live and work. These characteristics mark the follower of Jesus Christ first, but also impact every area of our lives, including the way we approach our citizenship.
After the dedication of the temple in II Chronicles 7, God speaks to King Solomon; "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray..." What do you think might result if you and I humbled ourselves before God, praying fervently for many aspects of our lives, including our nation. God tells Solomon that humility, prayer, and repentance will bring forgiveness and healing to their land. Brothers and sisters, what might happen in this nation if you and I chose such a path?
I do not believe that our goal is to make this nation into a Christian institution...but rather, to make a difference for the cause of Christ in ways that will bring transformation to our homes, our communities, our nation, and world. It begins right where you live and work and go to school...humble yourself before God, seek the face of God through prayer, repent of your sin...then ask God how you can be used to bring light and hope to those around you. That would be a present this nation could use.
Jim
After the dedication of the temple in II Chronicles 7, God speaks to King Solomon; "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray..." What do you think might result if you and I humbled ourselves before God, praying fervently for many aspects of our lives, including our nation. God tells Solomon that humility, prayer, and repentance will bring forgiveness and healing to their land. Brothers and sisters, what might happen in this nation if you and I chose such a path?
I do not believe that our goal is to make this nation into a Christian institution...but rather, to make a difference for the cause of Christ in ways that will bring transformation to our homes, our communities, our nation, and world. It begins right where you live and work and go to school...humble yourself before God, seek the face of God through prayer, repent of your sin...then ask God how you can be used to bring light and hope to those around you. That would be a present this nation could use.
Jim
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