Nonsensical Ramblings of Mark

I knew that once Christmas day was done, and if the pattern from years past was repeated, I would suffer somewhat of a letdown. This year I tried something different. I tried hard to revel not only in the celebration but also in the preparation for it all. I even cracked a smile yesterday when my wife and I, for the third time, got ready to host a whole bunch of family at our house (this time for my sister and brother-in-law's pre-departure pizza party). There is a real satisfaction when Nan and I set out to get something done and we are clicking on all cylinders where I have my jobs and tasks and she has hers. Of course all of the work is for one, common, purpose but it is almost poetic as we move this way and that getting this and that ready for our guests. I almost wonder if, in those real but rare moments, I get a glimpse of the "division of labor" between the members of the Trinity as They seek, draw, convict, and save. I don't think I am making too much of it be

We, currently, have three services on Sunday mornings where the church can gather and worship. This will be changing when we begin to utilize our new building and I am sure that will be great relief to all of the pastors and support staff that make Sunday mornings possible. I have been teaching in our 10:00 kid's HighPoint time which is, basically, junior church for 4 year olds straight up through 5th grade. This means that we normally attend the 8:30 service as a family so that we can serve during the 10:00 a.m. time slot. We "drag" our boys with us into the 8:30 service and they are, for the most part, very well behaved during that time. Of course, we have higher standards for them then to just "be quiet" and "not be a disturbance." It looks like they are meeting our expectations of them. On numerous occasions I have caught them actually listening to the sermon. Our youngest son requests help on occasion to find a passage in the Old Testament (where

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart." Ecclesiastes 7:2-3 My Uncle Charlie died on Thursday night. It was a sudden death and he went quickly feeling little pain in the process. We went to the house of mourning today with the boys and saw a lot of pain, shock, and wondering. We will be attending the funeral and internment tomorrow where, I am sure, there will be more sadness and the gift of recognition that this is the end of all men. I thank God for him and the impact that he had on my life. I also thank God for this time that reminds me that I am not home yet. He reminds me, even now and with crystal clarity, why he sent His Son to this earth to begin with. Our sin did a number on this creation didn't it? This birth we celebrate this season means nothing without the hope that Easter brings. It is good for me to taste the bitterness of death for it makes m

I help out with our children's church program on Sunday morning called HighPoint. I am one of the "story tellers" which basically means that I bring the Bible lesson to the kids at the 10:00 service and it is something that I enjoy doing very much. Well, this past Sunday I brought an apple to the program and hilarity ensued. There was a point in the lesson (from Acts 2:42-47) where I was going to talk about the early church eating together and make the point that this was a way that they worshiped God together. I asked the host of the program (basically the emcee) to throw the apple and hit me in the hand that was extended to receive the fruit. Well, he threw the apple, but it didn't hit me in the hand. It hit me in a very delicate spot where no man wants to be hit. And, shall we say, I needed a moment. So there I was in front of 30 kids and more than a handful of adults and what I needed to do was sit down. But I couldn't and I started to laugh which is what I do