Class Reunion

I attended my R.A. Long High School Class of 1971 reunion August 12 and
13. There was a class picnic on the 14th, but preaching obligations that Sunday
kept me from attending. When I first received notification of the reunion late last
year, I anticipated that I would be in Scotland at the time of the get together. But
the visa refusal meant that I was here in the USA for the event and I was thrilled
that I was able to make it. I doubt if I would have come if I had to have travelled
all the way from Scotland to attend the reunion. I would have had the desire to
come, but not the finances to make it possible.

I must admit that I had to work up my courage to attend two previous reun-
ions; I never knew what to expect. But at the same time I wanted to see peo-
ple who were part of my life growing up. The latter always overcame the
former. I went to an informal get together on  Friday night. I went back and
forth about whether to go or not, but I am glad I went. After some initial feel-
ings of awkwardness, I plunged into the crowd and chatted with former class-
mates, several whom I had not seen since we graduated. I had some short chats
and a few talks that were long and deep. I actually enjoyed them all. I had two
significant conversations that night that I can only describe as divine appoint-
ments. I had not been particularly close to either person when we were high
school classmates, but both of them became dear to me as they shared deeply.
Unfortunately, I still had some sermon preparation to do, so I left still wanting
to see other people. Fortunately, there was still the main reunion event the next
day.

The next day, Saturday, I went through the same emotional process that I had
the day before: fear, anxiety, and then plunging in. This would be the third re-
union I attended, and the the third time I went through the process. I went,
took a deep breath, and started talking to people. As the night before, there
were short chats and a few deeper, more personal conversations. I couldn't be-
lieve how much some classmates had changed; yet there were a few I was able
to recognize immediately. Once I heard a last name, however, I was able to re-
connect with memories of our school years. But again, I bowed out after  a
few hours in order to finish my sermon preparation for the next day. I enjoyed
being at the reunion, but preaching is a higher priority for me.

Now for some general comments. I still find it hard to believe that we are 50-
somethings now. When we gather together again in five years, we will be 60-
somethings! That does not compute, but most of us look our age. I couldn't be-
lieve it! I still have fond memories of us in our high school days. I was sad-
dened by how many of my classmates whom I wanted to see did not show up.
We silently remembered the 26 out of a class of 285 or so who have passed
away. The first one drowned when we were 8th graders and the most recent
died just three weeks before the reunion.  I was thrilled by several classmates
whose lives had been transformed by Jesus Christ. The change in their lives
was simply amazing. I could see it in their eyes. The people I remember fond-
ly as teens are now, for the most part, well established, settled, and mature.
Most of them have kids in college or grandkids. Some had planned wisely for
retirement and are now taking advantage of it after thirty years of solid employ-
ment or service. I am quite impressed with the career and financial accomplish-
ments of some of my classmates.

As for me, well, I 've never been married and I don't have any children. Kissin'
cousins are all the family I have left. I don't have any financial or employment
security. I have been through the wringer the past eight years being prepared
for only God knows what. I don't have any desire to retire because I firmly be-
lieve that the best years and the most fruitful years of my life are still ahead of
me. I feel like I am just getting started. I feel like I did as a twenty-something,
when I was in my early adulthood, looking boldly into the future. I love the
Lord and am committed to serving him and his people; that is what is most im-
portant to me. I found it difficult to share that about myself at the reunion, per-
haps because  I spent my time listening to people who mean a lot to me. I hope
that at our reunion in five years I will be able to share that with others.

All for now. Blessings to you and yours,    

Taking on a Preaching Challenge

I felt challenged when I accepted the invitation to preach at a local church Sun-
day, August 14. Since my arrival back in the Longview/Kelso area in late Janu-
ary, I have had the pleasure of preaching at my home church, Kelso Presbyter-
ian Church. So I was a bit surprised when I was invited by Pastor Mark of North
Lake Baptist Church to preach one Sunday when he was to be on vacation. I
have the highest respect for Pastor Mark and the people and other leaders of the
church. The church is large, dynamic, and growing and her people are actively
serving God, God's kingdom, and other people. I know that I am not suppose to
do this, but I did not consider myself in their league.

However, I was confident that the Lord had called me to preach there on that
date whether I felt out of my depth or not. I had two weeks to prepare, more
time than I usually have to develop a sermon. I based the sermon for North
Lake on the sermon I had delivered at my home church on July 24, a message
that revolved around Psalm 23. But as I prayed about the upcoming sermon,
the message took off in a direction that was different from the one I had given
at the Kelso church. I coupled Psalm 23 with John 10:1-11, viewed the Psalm
from different perspectives, and figured out ways to have the congregation par-
ticipate. There have been few times when I have experienced sermon prepara-
tion time as rich as when I was preparing for this latest preaching assignment.

I was not as concerned about my message as I was about my delivery. When
I began preaching assignments at Cupar Old Parish Church in late 2008, it had
been five years since I had last preached. Plus in 2006 I had undergone major
cardiac surgery to replace my aortic heart valve. When I got back to preaching
in 2008, it was clearly evident that I was not only rusty in preaching, but some
of the mental capabilities that I  needed for preaching were not there for me as
they once had been. At times during the last two and a half years it has been
agonizing for me as I have struggled to recover my preaching skills.

I began the sermon by reciting Psalm 23, and then asking those in the congre-

gation who knew it to join with me. I talked about Psalm 23, and then recited 

the Psalm as if God were using the words of the Psalm to comfort King David. 

Next I read and commented on John 10:1-11. Then I recited Psalm 23 as if Jesus 

the Good Shepherd were saying it to us with verses ten and eleven of John 10 

mixed into the Psalm. My main point was actually a question: Do you know 

Jesus the Good Shepherd who gave his life for you? I concluded by asking the 

congregation to repeat after me Psalm 23 and direct it to God. I had never done 

anything like this before, nor have I ever encountered this way of preaching a 

text. Even though I had fun with it, I don't know if I could ever pull this off 

again with another text. 

I am not sure how I was received by the congregation, but I felt comfortable 

with my delivery and style. I preached for around 45 minutes, which is the 

longest I have ever preached. I usually preach for 23-28 minutes, even though 

I have been told to preach for 15-18 minutes. With this congregation I was told 

that 45 minutes was the norm. I had planned for 40 minutes, and came out pretty 

close. I did not have any sense that I went too long, which l am afraid I have a 

tendency of doing. They seemed to be with me right up to the end. I did not
preach from a manuscript, but had a firm grasp of an outline in my head. 

I was very concerned about the pitch of my voice and the pace of my delivery,
and so I tried to monitor that as I preached. I sensed that the people were track-
ing with me from beginning to end, and were with me when I came to my main
point.  I felt it was the best I had preached in a long time and I felt comfortable
and relaxed. But I have learned over the years that my perceptions are not always
reflective of reality. I did feel that I have made solid progress after over two years
of hard work on my preaching. I was relieved. I realized, however, that I still have
a lot of hard work ahead of me in terms of preaching.

After the service I was asked to preach at an afternoon service at an apartment
complex for senior citizens. I cut down the sermon and tailored it for a different
community. I enjoyed delivering a shorter message on Psalm 23 to a dear group
of people, a message that was just for them. I am glad I was able to do it. But I
look forward to soon having the privilege of preaching year round at St. Fergus
Parish Church in Scotland where I have been called to serve as pastor. As always,
I ask you to pray for that on my behalf.  May it be so, Lord Jesus.

Blessings to you and yours,
   

Keepin' On Keepin' On

I have not posted to my blog since mid-July. I have been focusing on several efforts that have
demanded my attention. I preached at my home church two weeks ago and preach at another
church next Sunday. Each time I preach I never use what I preached before, but seek to do
something fresh and personal. It is nice not to have the heavy demands of parish ministry on
my plate right now. I have more time to put into home cooking of fresh sermons. I won't have
as much time when I get going as pastor of St. Fergus Parish Church. Meanwhile I have con-
tinued to address the visa issues to return to the United Kingdom and keep in touch with the
St. Fergus congregation. I also have a little bit more work to do on my thesis.

My weekly schedule has become routinized. Five or six days a week I arise at 4:30 so I can
attend Morning Watch at 5 am and Israel Watch at 6 am. I usually walk to the church, praying
for the town during the 15 minutes it takes me. If it is raining hard, I drive.  There are usually
15 to 20 people at Morning Watch, some of whom stop by before going to work. They come
from no one church in particular, but from a variety of churches in the area. As a vocalist ac-
companied by guitar or keyboard sings mellow worship songs, people take turns at an open mic
reading Scripture or offering prayers that focus on the theme for the day. I have been attending
since mid-March and have found it refreshing. I especially pray in preparation for my return to
Scotland. Thursday mornings I meet with local Christian leaders and ministers to pray for each
other and for the area. It has been a rich time of fellowship for me since I arrived in January.

I always stay for Israel Watch that follows on from Morning Watch, but a number of people
leave at 6 in order to go to work. Usually there are 10 to 12 of us, but occasionally there are
just three of us. Taped messianic Jewish music is played over the sound system and people
take turns praying and reading Scripture at an open mic. We pray for various messianic Jew-
ish ministries in Israel as well as for the tremendous troubles that confront the people of Israel
in these challenging times. An abiding concern is the sustained efforts by nations that seek to
do Israel harm, seeking to reduce Israel to indefensible borders. These are challenging times,
indeed. On Wednesday morning at 7 am, a small group of us have a Torah study by Skype
with a messianic rabbi in Israel. Then on Saturday mornings I meet with another group to study
the Bible from a messianic Jewish perspective. I have always enjoyed studying the Old Testa-
ment and the Jewishness of Jesus and the New Testament. It has been a fun and refreshing time
for me.  

The two Prayer Watches shape my day. They  take place early in the morning when I used to
have my most restful stretches of sleep. But I firmly believe that these times of prayer are criti-
cal to my time of 'exile' while I am away from St. Fergus. If I have the time, I take any oppor-
tunity to take a long nap in the late morning or in the afternoon. Meanwhile, I always have
meals to prepare, dishes to wash, groceries to buy, laundry to do, and my small studio apart-
ment to keep clean. For the past four years I have listened to podcasts downloaded to my iPod.
While I walk to places, cook, eat, wash dishes, or rest, I listen to podcast of the likes of Ravi
Zacharias, Hugh Hewitt, R.C. Sproul, Michael Medved, The White Horse Inn, or two BBC
podcasts on great figures, great ideas, and great events in history. Since I don't have a TV or
radio, I go to online news from the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today,
the BBC, and Fox. Plus there are several blogs and websites (conservative in orientation) for
news analysis. I am also trying to find more time to take pleasure in reading just for the fun of it.

I find great enjoyment in meeting with other people. I meet with four close friends every Tues-
day morning at 6:30 for breakfast. On most Wednesday evenings, I have enjoyed the Life
Group that my best buds Steve and Ellen attend. Thursday evenings I go over the basics of
the Christian life with a guy who just came to know the Lord. On Sunday evenings I attend
a small men's group at my home church. Throughout my week there are always what I call
divine appointments when I have amazing conversations with people I meet on the way. To-
night I went to a training session for those who have been cleared to be ministry volunteers
in the local jail. It is scary to me, but I believe the Lord is calling me to that. I'll be working
with a good friend of mine who is a pastor of a local church and involved in weekly minis-
try in the jail. I am also working with a good friend who is gifted in the ministry of Deep Heal-
ing. Perhaps the only things I would ask God for are opportunities to see a number of close
friends in the area whom I haven't been able to see. That's a great desire of mine.

I have my hands full of activities. There is plenty for me to do in terms of Christian minis-
try, service, and fellowship. My time has quickly filled up. I sense that much of it is prepar-
ing me for serving the people of St. Fergus Parish Church and the people of that area of Scot-
land. Perhaps it is providential that I have not been offered opportunities for work or pastoral
ministry in a congregation. I am doing ok financially and have found community resources
that can help me out. I am at a good place for the time being. It seems to me, however, that I
can pack up and leave at a moment's notice if the opportunity comes for me to head back to
Scotland. So be it, Lord, so be it. Meanwhile I keep on keepin' on.

Blessings to you and yours,