This past Sunday I started a new sermon series called “Six Word Memoirs.” The question of the series is simple; “How would you describe your life in six words?” It could also be asked; “How would other people describe your life in six words?” There are other questions that follow like; Are you writing the story you want to right? Are you writing a story God would want you to write?

The idea for this series came from a book entitled “Not Quite What I Was Planning” and its follow-up “It All Changed In An Instant.” There is also a website HERE that is continually updated with new memoirs.

These memoirs might get you thinking about your own. And in turn get you ready for the upcoming sermons.

*Warning – these are not Christian books or a website. It may have some objectionable material.

I was recently reading an article by a Church consultant. In this article he stated that is often asked to come and assess the Sunday morning worship program of various Churches. Most Churches feel like they are doing a good job of blending Biblical truth, traditional aspects of worship and contemporary approaches. Yet these same Churches are finding it harder and harder to reach non-Christians. In response, he usually asks a simple question that causes Churches to reassess everything. He ask, “How do the teenagers in your Church view your worship?” “Are they engaged & challenged or are they bored & unengaged?”

His theory is simple. Youth see everything through fresh eyes, much like an unbeliever or new believer. They don’t know our traditions and usually don’t care. They see everything at face value and not the result of several years of challenges and compromises. The are honest about what they experience, and many are forced to sit through our programs week after week.

Thus he draws this conclusion. If your Church is serious about reaching lost people then develop a program that even your teenagers will like.

As a pastor and a father of 2 teenagers it has been a questions that is causing me to rethink everything.

This past weekend Homer High School was host to the Borough Track Championships for Jr and Sr High School. My son Logan was in two of the field events and two of the track events. I went up on Friday and watched him do his field events and then waited around to watch him run. For each race they had the Jr High girls compete first then the Jr High boys and then the Sr High girls and finally the Sr high boys. As a result we were able to see a lot more track events than I planned or imagined.
Logan and I were both watching the Sr High girls 100 meter hurdles. We watched a girl take off in the lead and catch her foot on the second hurdle. She did what my son called a “face plant” into the track. Without hesitation she jumped back up and took off running. Now she was in last place. We were amazed as we saw her pass girl after girl and finally come in second place by fractions of a second.
Logan said, “Did you see that? That was amazing!” In that moment, no one cared that she finished second. We were all amazed by her spirit and her drive and the fact that she did not give up. He second effort to finish the race was way more impressive than just winning a race.
I think that is a great reminder for people who are willing to take a second chance in Jesus.

Here are a few of my all time favorite internet pictures

I went to the grocery to purchase some items for our kitchen. While there I was forced to stand in line before I could pay for my stuff. The ladies in front of me appeared to have all the time in the world. They were older and they wanted to talk and laugh with the cashier. The lady behind me was obviously was in a hurry. She huffed and puffed and finally went to a nearby line that appeared to have faster service.
While standing there it hit me that everybody has a day like that. Every one of us has a day where:
-We are in a hurry or when we have all the time in the world
-We are angry and not nice to be around or a day when we want to talk and visit
-We are annoying to others or we are entertaining to others
-We are tired or when we are full of energy
-We are the model of Christianity or we are all that is wrong with religion
I could go on and on, but I am sure you get the point. Everyone has one of those types of days.
Here is the tough part of that truth. We must resist the temptation to view a person through the lens of one good day or of one bad day. At least I know that I must face this reality all the time. I can easily view someone as a glorious person because of one experience or I can easily view someone as awful because of an encounter.
So the next time I meet someone who is “rubbing me the wrong way” I need to remind myself that this might just be a one time thing for them and I have probably been like that myself once in a while.

I heard this illustration years ago and retyped it word for word. I am not the type of preacher who can read long articles in sermons very well so I have never used it. I thought it might be good to share it here:

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau and lifted out a tissue wrapped package. “This,” he said, “is not a slip. This is lingerie.” He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite; silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached. “Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is the occasion.” He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me. “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”
I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister’s family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn’t seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.
I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my life. I’m reading more and dusting less. I’m sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings.
Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to savor, not endure. I’m trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I’m not “saving” anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries without wincing. I’m not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party going friends’. “Someday” and “one of these days” are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
I’m not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn’t be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I’m guessing. I’ll never know. It’s those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry because I hadn’t written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn’t tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love then.
I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is … a gift from God.
— Source: Ann Wells, “Something to Think About”, Los Angeles Times.

I am not preaching on money or stewardship in the very near future, but I ran across two stories in my illustration file that made me smile today. Here are two funny stories about the Church and money:

There were two men shipwrecked on this island. The minute they got on to the island one of them started screaming and yelling, “We’re going to die! We’re going to die! There’s no food! No water! We’re going to die!”
The second man was propped up against a palm tree and acting so calmly it drove the first man crazy. “Don’t you understand? We’re going to die!!”
The second man replied, “You don’t understand, I make $100,000 a week.”
The first man looked at him quite dumbfounded and asked, “What difference does that make?!? We’re on an island with no food and no water! We’re going to DIE!!!”
The second man answered, “You just don’t get it. I make $100,000 a week and I tithe ten percent on that $100,000 a week. My pastor will find me!”

A one-dollar bill met a twenty-dollar bill and said, “Hey, where have you been? I haven’t seen you around here much.” The twenty answered, “I’ve been hanging out at the casinos, went on a cruise and did the rounds on the ship, back to the United States for a while, went to a couple of baseball games, to the mall, that kind of stuff. How about you?”
The one dollar bill said, “You know, same old stuff – church, church, church.

This last Sunday we finished the sermon series on “The Games People Play.” The series went excellent. In fact, I had more positive comments about this series than I had any series in recent memory. (And thanks for that!)

This week we start a new sermon series entitled.

The basic question is this: How would you describe your life in six words? – or – How would others describe your life in six words?

Here are the upcoming sermons and I hope you will join us:

May 5 “So I Only Get Six Words?”
May 12 “I Am Turning into My Mother” [Mother’s Day]
May 19 “Not Quite What I Was Planning”
May 26 “It All Changed In an Instant”
June 2 “Life of Faith, World of Sin”
June 9 “My Life is God and Family”
June 16 “I Wish My Dad Was Here” [Father’s Day]
June 23 “Last Chapter Hasn’t Been Written Yet”
June 30 “I Just Hope There’s A Sequel”

*The idea for this series comes from Smith Magazine. They have several books full of this six word memoirs and a site dedicated to keeping it going over HERE. Warning – it is not a Christian site.

I recently ran across a list of “Top Signs you Attend a Country Church.” As I was reading it, I thought that it could simply be modified to apply to Churches in Alaska. So here is my updated version of “Top Ten Signs You Attend Church in Alaska”

10. There is a time of praise for gas prices dropping below $3.50 a gallon
9. The restroom is outside
8. You often hear Texas referred to as “that Little State down below.”
7. Never in its entire 50-year history has one of its pastors had to buy any meat
6. People wonder if Jesus fed the 5,000 with Salmon or Halibut.
5. During the Red Salmon run the church is empty
4. You have received seafood as a gift.
3. You think, “If this is not heaven, I bet you can see heaven from there.”
2. Opening day of moose hunting season is recognized as an official church holiday.
1. The pastor wears fishing boots and no one says anything

(For the locals – What would you add to my list?)

I thought I would just give a quick report about several things at Homer Christian Church over the past week.

1) Last week our Church sponsored the “Feed the Kids” program for Homer High School. We had 53 teens attend and we fed them 15 pizzas plus soda, water and cookies. We also had 7 adults show up to help out (plus Rainy 7 Elias Sundheim). It was great to see everyone working together and it was a wonderful experience.

2) My Sunday morning Sunday School class has grown from a class for youth into a class for anyone. If you are looking for a “small group” setting at Homer Christian this is a great way to come and learn and get connected. Bob Craig still offers a class upstairs if my class is not for you, but mine is now officially open to anyone.

3) Last night we held our Derby Car Race. We had well over 20 participants this year. I think everyone had a pretty good time. Hunter Harris won it all and that is because of his amazing and skillful dad. Thanks to Dave and Gay Fraker for their work on everything and to Lynn Burgoyne and Diane Andress for their work with the food. Thanks to everyone who participated in this fun event.

Finally – Our time to celebrate our teens that are graduating is quickly coming upon us – May 19th. Plan on staying for a fellowship lunch that day and a time to say congratulations. I hope you can join us for another great day!