For Easter 2017: He is Risen! I am Redeemed!

Our celebration of Christ’s resurrection reminds us of our complete dependence on Him and His work for us on the cross. There is nothing we can offer that will match the sacrifice He made for us. His sacrifice was because of His great love for us and our great need of Him. All that we give to Him in worship and praise on Easter Sunday is based on His grace: we bring it to Him because He first gave it to us. Not only did He die for our sins but He lived for our lives: we are subject to His grace in all things. We worship Him, giving back far less than what He gave to us, but by His grace He completes what we bring. He is Risen!

At some time in our lives we have stood at the bottom of Jesus’ cross, observing His hideous death and the moral and emotional wreck that is our lives. Beneath the cross of Jesus we observe the horror of an innocent man punished and killed because of our guilt and shame; somehow we know He did it on our behalf.

If bad things don’t matter then good things don’t matter either. If our sin doesn’t require justice and judgment then any good thing we do requires nothing good in return. Good and evil are rendered meaningless if our sin is not recognized and judged. Our sin has been judged, once for all, in Jesus receiving our judgment on Himself. It wasn’t fair for Him, but He did not come to die for fairness but for love and grace. Life is often not fair for us, but in the cross of Christ we have come to know we are of all people most favored and most blessed. “Life isn’t fair” in that we have received far more good than we have deserved and have not received the full measure of justice that we so richly deserved.

I am not what I would call a “good and noble man.” I don’t think of myself as holy nor do I “feel” holy most of the time. I have such obvious chinks in my armor (I wear them like a gilded robe) that I could be ridiculed and judged at any moment. The level of perfection that the world demands (how ironic that the people most critical of Christianity are the most legalistic and demanding of absolute perfection from people) is not attainable. The world demands far more of their definition of “righteousness” than God demands of us. (The world seeks to destroy our good with its “perfect” when you think about it.) So I know I have no self-righteousness to offer: but I am redeemed. I have no intrinsic power or discipline to show off like a shiny trophy: but I have His grace and mercy. My only trophy is the cross and His grace. It’s all I’ve got: it’s all I have to lean on. I’m nothing and nobody without Him, and without Him I can do nothing of any value.

But by His grace He asks me to express my love and devotion for Him in the ways He has given me. He is pleased when I offer my mind, heart, soul and strength; even though it’s woefully inadequate. He fills it up with His grace to make it an offering with which He is pleased. And when I give what I am to Him, I know He is pleased.

Reflections on a Church member – my tribute to Ralph Cox

Ralph Cox passed away on Feb 22, 2017 at the age of 87. Ralph was unique in so many ways but one thing about Ralph and his wife Bertha that was so amazing to me was their longevity as church members. Ralph and Bertha joined the old Grace Baptist Church on Swope Ave in 1962. Shortly thereafter he was ordained as a deacon and remained as the church treasurer until 1987. Between membership at Grace and now at our little church they spent over 50 years in church. That’s an admirable record.

The attitudes of people about church membership changed dramatically during their lifespan. For folks like Ralph you just didn’t cast aside your commitment to a church and move on to the next one. The very stability of Ralph was such a constant for our little church that many people just felt better about their church because he was there. Most folks don’t dedicate themselves to a single church like this anymore. Some do, of course, but not as many as used to be.

There can be a variety of reasons why a person attends a certain church for their entire spiritual lives but regardless of the nuances of those reasons one thing is clear: they loved it. They heard what was taught, they heard what was sung, they met the people, and they decided it was home. After making it their home their presence made it a home for others. Such loyalty and stability is a rare character trait for any Christian. This does not mean Ralph was perfect or some sort of saint; he was not. He was just ‘ol Ralph who was ready to help when you needed his expertise. He was always ready to pray (so quietly that only the person standing next to him knew he was done). He kept the church books meticulously; it always balanced as far as I know. He put in the phone lines for the church (he and another member were retired from the phone company). He was just solid: old solid Ralph always in his pew until the day came his mind could not absorb the routine anymore. The best words I can use for Ralph are: solid – stable – consistent.

No one will ever take the place of members like Ralph. We are in a different generation and a different time when it comes to church membership. Change is inevitable within any church but there was something comforting about knowing Ralph was always there. When you look up “church member” in a dictionary there’s a picture of Ralph there.

We’re not the best church you’ll ever attend, nor are we the worst. Good, solid Bible teaching develops guys like Ralph: good, solid men of faith. Thanks Ralph for your years with the church; they were not wasted. You will be missed, Ralph. All churches need guys like Ralph; I’ve had the privilege of knowing several “Ralph’s” in my ministry and I feel so fortunate for having known them.

Good church member. Ralph. We’ll see you again someday sitting in that pew in heaven; when I get there I’ll be ready to preach and sing for you. It will be my privilege.

29 Years of Freedom

Tomorrow we will be celebrating our 29^th anniversary as a church, fitting as it’s on January 29^th. On Jan 31, 1988 3 families along with Greg and Ruth’s family met at Greg’s house to begin this work. We have had many experiences through the years and we should take a moment to rejoice in the Lord’s promise to us and all churches, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.” They have not prevailed as we are still standing to continue worshiping in our own little way to exalt the name of Jesus Christ.

After the morning service we will bust up the auditorium (not literally of course) and have a potluck lunch. We will have a committee meeting to determine how we want to set up the church for the potluck and then conduct a business meeting where it will take a 2/3 majority vote to approve this set-up. We will have lunch at 5pm on Monday! LOL and chuckles: what’s good about us is that it doesn’t take a committee to decide to eat.

Immediately after the potluck (we don’t intend to keep you all day so we’ll keep it as brief as we can) we will have a short discussion on the “State of the Church.” This is to provide the communication we determined 2 years ago as being necessary to keep all informed as to our financial condition and what our needs and desires will be for the year. For the last 2 years several goals have been met and we praise the Lord that upon determined what our needs were we have substantially met our goals. All glory goes to Jesus Christ the Lord of the church!

We will also allow you guys to brainstorm any new practical goals you think we ought to have for the year. We know the spiritual goals are in the hands of the Lord but we always need to revisit the overall health of the church and how we can be healthier. Be thinking about this, but the overall purpose of the meeting is to discuss where we’re at on a practical level and what we think we want to do for the coming year.

We signed a new lease this year that lasts until December 31, 2018. We’re in the Lord’s hands but we’ve been in His hands for 29 years and that is the best possible place we can be.

Think on these things: Worship – Bible knowledge and teaching – Missions and Outreach – Finances – Building, tools and furnishings – these are only some of the items that either enhance or limit the overall health of the church.

And oh by the way, I blogged 7 times in the last year. I hope I can keep up this breakneck pace! I always think of things to blog about during the week but with my old brain I soon forget to do it or just don't get the time. I'll keep trying and thanks for your patience, but I was pleased that I found 7 posts from me for the past year!

Merry Christmas from Greg

I decided not to send out Christmas cards this year mostly due to time and most of the folks I desire to send my special regards at this time of year will be reading this. I wish for all of you to have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This year has been one of great joys and laughter and also many challenges.

This year I sang and danced my way through the Spring and Christmas seasons of the Songspinners, performing more than 50 shows and 2 flash mobs at 2 different DMV locations. I also got to emcee and perform with the Songspinners at a special concert in October with the Velvet Hills Chorus. It was a hoot.

We had our grandchildren from Alaska here for 5 weeks this summer and my grandchildren from Virginia along with my son and daughter in law were here during the same time. We also enjoyed having Mom Sullivan here from HI along with Ruth’s sister Mary and the rest of the Souza’s from the Big Island. All the grandkids got to meet their Hawaiian cousin and that was a special time. We celebrated the 4^th of July at the Rock Ledge Ranch and enjoyed the history lessons.

Ruth taught in VA in Sept-Oct and got to be with our Virginia family; while she was gone I took 4 days off from work to paint the outside of the house and the garage. It was a needed project and I am glad it was accomplished. Ruth then attended the Int’l Quilt Festival and Market in Houston in Oct-Nov for her business and had a very productive time there. My wife is an accomplished artist, businesswoman and author and I am so very proud of her!

Church rolled on and we enjoyed some great music with Lisa throughout the year along with some sweet fellowship. We signed a new 2 year lease and are looking forward to 2017-2018 at our current location as a church. Lisa and I are working with a good friend Ken Pulliam to put together a new CD of music.

For this year the honest truth is that life has been a bumpy road. I’m the type that can pull the dark cloud out of every silver lining; I can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory every time. Don’t forget, I work for the government and on top of that, I work for the DMV! So bumps in the road are a daily occurrence. I understand that as a follower of Christ I always have hope and joy. I instinctively know there is a happy ending to my life no matter the strains and pains. Sometimes all you can do is put your head down and plow through it. I’ve done a lot of plowing this year.

It was 5 years ago on Christmas Day that my mother passed away. It was heartbreaking news because I knew I couldn’t get there on time to see her but I am still rejoicing that she is at peace with the Lord. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. Her loss on Christmas Day along with the loss of my dearest friend in the ministry Mike Rogers (who passed on Christmas Day in 2010) makes Christmas a bittersweet time, and I do believe it will be like that always. That’s OK; every day is Christmas Day for a Christian and memories are made from the small pleasures of life that I experience every day with Christ as my Lord.

So on this day and every day, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. I am completely dependent on His grace for there is nothing in me that can accomplish anything; He has accomplished all for me and it all belongs to Him. Rest in His grace; even if you fall and it seems like all is dark, though He slay you, yet you can trust in Him. Once eternity has been figured out, the rest is a journey of epic joys and pleasures. My prayer for you is peace and prosperity for you, your families, and for this great nation of ours. God bless 2017!

A special note of thanks and info on our upcoming services at Freedom – I had a great worship time at Heartsong Church last Sunday and I do so appreciate you letting me go sing. I enjoyed seeing the picture of Jess, Lisa, Johnie, Darrel and Ron on FB; that was a nice touch.

Don’t forget tonight we will meet for a Christmas Worship Service at 5pm and then have a potluck following. Bring your usual great culinary creations at which we Baptists excel. We’ll have a Christmas sing-a-long following.

Next Sunday night (Dec 18) at 5pm we invite all back for an early potluck and then the Songspinners will be performing at 6pm. This is a great time to bring friends and family to enjoy our fellowship and friendship as a church as we open our doors for those that are coming to the show. It is the closing show for the Songspinners Christmas season. Bring a lot of potluck goodies; enough for those who attend and for the Spinners to snack on after their show. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you guys doing this.

With Christmas and New Year’s on Sunday this year there will be regular worship services at 10am both Sundays but no Sunday School.

His Ways Past Finding Out

I lost someone recently. Robert Walker was the son of friends that I had for over 40 years. He was adopted by my friends in 1985; my wife and I were there when they brought him home. My son and Robert practically grew up together until about high school when they went to different high schools and their lives took different paths. There was so much history and so much time spent together, though. For the most part every time we got to see our friends it was like no time had passed at all. 2 weeks ago I got a message that Robert had suffered a stroke; I went to see him and my friends in the hospital here and I could tell it was bad. Within a week Robert had passed away at the age of 32. While it is so difficult to make sense of such a tragedy, I took comfort in something my daughter posted that is about as good a thing to think in such times.

I lost a friend I haven't seen in....... I don't know how long

I still lost a friend today

He was a part of all of my growing years. He and his parents were always there. All the truly pivotal moments, somehow, someway, they were there

I lost a friend today

I keep trying to explain away or downplay my grief because of the distance

But the truth is, I lost a friend today

I keep wondering if my sorrow is because he was so young, or because I feel so much for his parents

But the truth is, I lost a friend today

The truth is, people grow, and move, and start over. It doesn't mean they leave their roots behind

They may not visit each other, or talk on the phone, they may not see each other for years

It doesn't mean they don't love each other

I lost a friend today

There are roots in our lives that never rot. Those roots are often our childhood friends that helped shape us into who we are

I lost a friend today

I lost a friend today and have absolutely no idea how to grieve

How do you grieve through the guilt and regret? How do you grieve through the path your lives took

How do you grieve through the window of childhood memories?

All I know is, through distance and memory and love,

I lost a friend today.

Thank you to my daughter for these wonderful thoughts

Sometimes it's hard and there's nothing to say: we'll keep on going but it's just plain hard sometimes

Pray for my friends and for one another

If we have hope only in this life, we are people to be pitied. Our hope is in the future in the hands of our loving God

We're still here but you wouldn't know it from this blog

I haven’t updated for some time; I intend to put some thoughts down but with full-time work and preparing for Sunday I never seem to get to it. I intend to send more posts of wandering thoughts and activities in my life and the life of the church so I hope you're all satisfied with my good intentions. I have brilliant posts and observations in my head so I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

I want to let our friends know of a project that Lisa and I are working on. Our good friend Ken Pulliam is offering his technical expertise to put together a better music recording than we have ever been capable of doing before. We have been meeting on Thursday nights to record some of our favorite Christmas songs and the results so far have been very satisfying. My thanks to the sacrifice that Lisa is making to play and Ken for his willingness to see this project through. He has been working on me for some time to do this so I am glad we have it going. We don’t know when we’ll be done because recording is a time-consuming procedure but we will let you know. More to come

Don’t forget that next Sunday is the change to regular time so fall back one hour next week

Tonight I will be emceeing and performing at “A Harvest of Harmony” featuring the Velvet Hills Chorus, the Songspinners and Joe and Katie Uveges. Tickets are available at the door for the 7:30pm show ($20); if you want to come for dinner and the show ($35) it starts at 6pm. The show is at The Retired Enlisted Association Hall at 834 Emory Circle. It will be a great show and I’m glad they asked me to be a part of this.

And remember: we're not the worst church you'll ever attend and it wouldn't kill you to attend church once in awhile. The best thing is: no snakes!