"You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up!"

There are a number of familiar phrases we use from time to time to describe the circumstances of our lives. "A funny thing happened on the way to....." is often a way to introduce an unexpected twist in a story. "Can you believe that...." is less a question and more a statement when used to introduce something unexpected. "You just can't make this stuff up," is often a statement of incredulity when something unusual, something so out of the ordinary happens that changes even the best of plans. That pretty much described my doctor's perspective when he pointed me to the X-ray yesterday morning that showed the fracture in my left foot. This is the same doctor that has been treating the torn tendon in my right ankle and who was scheduled to do surgery on that ankle in September. You see, I took an unexpected tumble Wednesday evening at home that resulted in the fracture that landed me in the doctor's office Thursday morning. As he pointed to the x-ray image on the screen, he smiled at me, shook his head, and said, "You just can't make this stuff up!" He was voicing what we all were feeling in the room as the realization that the good foot, the one that was to have given me stability in the aftermath of surgery on the right foot, was now broken. "What are the odds of this happening?" we were all thinking to ourselves.

 

Well, it did happen and as a result, I now have a hard cast on my left leg that will remain for the next six to eight weeks. I can bear no weight on it and so, I cannot drive, nor get around as I want to for a while.  The surgery that was supposed to happen in September has now been postponed until after the first of the year.  So, what next? What does one do when unexpected twists and turns alter one's life so suddenly and unexpectedly?  Perhaps that's where my doctor's words have more meaning than I first realized.  Perhaps his words in some way are a statement of faith, recognition that things happen sometimes that are beyond our control.  How one responds, however, makes a great deal of difference.  

 

A good friend has just now texted to remind me to hang in there, that things will get easier with each new day.  Knowing all that this person has been through and her faith to persevere, I am encouraged.  I have learned these lessons of faith from many of you who have faced much greater trials than are now before me with the courage and strength of your faith.  Recognizing that things happen beyond our control is simply acknowledging the uncertainty of the world in which we live.  Learning to trust in the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, even in the midst of that uncertainty, is the hope that empowers next steps, or in my case, hops.

 

The annual back to school event at Springfield Gardens is tomorrow from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. (Since it looks like I wont be able to make it tomorrow, perhaps some of you might consider taking my place and assisting Dick Marvin and others in this good work.)

 

Our final August Sunday at Westwood is this Sunday with worship at 9:30 a.m. and fellowship time to follow.  The handbell choir will share another of the wonderful bell stories they perform each year at this time, focusing this Sunday on the story of Paul and Silas.  Remember also that there is a called meeting immediately following worship to approve the nominating committee report for new deacons.

 

And so, you truly can't make up some of the stories that mark our lives.  You can, however, in the midst of it all, trust the Lord.  As one of my good friends, in adding to another of life's familiar phrases, "God is good," used to remind me, "God is good...all the time." Amen and Amen.

 

Jim Abernathy

The Significance of Community

The house is a bit quieter this morning.  Clayton left just before eight to head back to Lexington to begin his third year at the University of Kentucky.  His coming and going has now become a part of our ongoing family narrative...an altogether routine marker along our continuing journey.  I was talking this week with someone whose oldest child will start middle school this fall, remembering the first time I met this soon-to-be teenager.  She was just a toddler then, very busy and fully consumed by the wonder of the world around her.  She has matured in many ways since then, and I reminded her mother that heading off to middle school was just another chapter in a story that was all too quickly being written.  Almost immediately, I remembered that others had said the same thing to me  as Clayton prepared to go to middle school, and now eight quick years later, I'm offering the same advice, not as a seasoned veteran who has all the answers, but a fellow traveler on this rapidly moving roller coaster of parenting.

 

These shared experiences remind us of the significance of community.  Parenting is but one of the transitional experiences of life that link us to others. Though uniquely created by God, each of us are connected in so many different ways to other individuals, families, and groups where we find some sense of commonality. We are alternately comforted and discomforted by this truth whenever such comparisons are made, and yet, they serve to remind us that we are walking in this moment where others have walked, are walking, or will walk someday.  In one of Clayton's favorite movies from childhood, The Lion King, they referred to this connection as "the circle of life."

 

And so, whether one is sending a child off to college, middle school, or kindergarten, settling into a life-long career, edging into retirement, or taking the last steps and breaths of life, there is a connection that binds us to others.  As a person of faith, I ultimately view this connection in the context of an ever-present God whose guiding hand is at work today, as it has been before, and will continue to be.  The theme verse of our August Sundays, Hebrews 13:8, speaks to this truth: "Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever."    That is the greatest hope and connection we share.

 

Sunday morning we will gather again at 9:30 in the Sanctuary for worship, followed by fellowship time in Whitten Hall.  Bring a friend along with you and come expectantly as we worship the living Lord!

 

Yes, the house is quieter today. I'll take a deep breath, then remember that Max and Cindy will do their part to liven the calm, and before I know it, Clayton will be home for Thanksgiving.  Life is good!

 

Jim Abernathy

August Sundays at Westwood

Today is the first day of August, the eighth month of the year.  It is often seen as the end of summer, though the season does not officially conclude until mid-September. It is a time of travel and rest for many, a calm before the storm of a new school year's beginning, and perhaps a brief season to catch one's breath before fall and the rush to Christmas.  August has some noteworthy dates, including International Friendship Day on August 3rd, and International Left-Hander's Day on August 13th. Congress takes its recess (some would argue its most productive time) and schedules in general change to accommodate a more deliberate pace.

 

August Sundays at Westwood provides our community of faith with a different schedule and approach to Sunday morning that is a bit more casual and interactive, providing a break for our faithful Sunday School teachers, and special opportunities for fellowship that we do not have throughout the year.  Beginning this Sunday, and continuing each Sunday throughout the month, morning worship will begin at 9:30, followed by fellowship time for all in Whitten Hall. All of our Sunday School teachers are being given a break this year so there will be no Sunday School during this emphasis.  Dress will be more casual, the approach to the service more interactive with opportunities for sharing and dialogue that our traditional format does not always include.  Music will be varied as vocal and instrumental offerings are shared by soloists and ensembles. Sunday School classes will be providing some delicious food for our fellowship time each week and there will be a few guests along the way to offer fresh perspective. 

 

The theme for the month in worship will be taken from Hebrews 13:8 which says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."  That is an appropriate theme verse in the midst of our Fifty Sundays at Westwood emphasis during this special anniversary year.  So, though our schedule will change for this brief season, our purpose will not as we gather each week to honor the Lord in our worship and fellowship. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend (particularly this Sunday for International Friendship Day) and enjoy the blessing of God's presence at work in the Westwood family. 

 

Many of us will be traveling during this month, but when we are in town, let us enjoy these special worship and fellowship times and in doing so, give thanks for the wonder of faith we share in the living Christ.  Your faithfulness in attendance, giving, and fellowship during this month will indeed make our August Sundays at Westwood a blessing.

 

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

 

Jim Abernathy