A Lesson from Jacqueline and the Lorraine

            In early July, Ann and I took a road trip to the Dallas area and back to spend time with our children and grandchildren.   One of the places we visited on our return trip was Memphis, Tennessee.    Neither of us had visited the city  though we  had  talked for several years that we would like to do that.   To get a better sense of the city without the challenges of directions and parking, we took a bus tour of Memphis during our short stay there.   One of the places we visited was the Lorraine Motel in Memphis which was the site where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed in April 1968.  The motel was transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum in the early 1990’s.  A wreath hangs on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel site in front of the very spot where Rev. Dr. King stood when he was shot and killed.    

Our tour guide, Willie, introduced our tour group to Jacqueline Smith when we visited the site.  You can see her picture above in front of the Lorraine Motel.  In the late 1980’s, Jacqueline Smith was forcibly removed by police officers from a room at the Lorraine Motel that was her home.   Every since that day,  she has made it her life mission to “camp out” daily at the Lorraine Motel and protest the use of the property as a tourist site.   Through hot days and cold days, in times of wind and rain, Willie told us that you will find Jacqueline Smith at that spot in front of the Lorraine Motel claiming that the motel is not being used in a way that is faithful to the dreams of Rev. Dr. King.   I share this true story from Memphis Tennessee with you because the life of Jacqueline Smith is worthy of our admiration and respect.   Every day since 1998 (over 30 years) she spends her days championing a cause that she deeply believes in.

It matters not whether you agree with the cause of Jacqueline Smith or not. Her faithfulness and perseverance is admirable whatever you think of her cause.    Her life has had me thinking about  the cause that followers of Christ say they stand for:     loving God and loving others.      Is that something we do day after day, week after week or only on Sundays or when we know that others are looking?     What cause or mission occupies your life and purpose day  after day?     That is something to not only think about, but also something to live for.   Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, we give you thanks that you never slumber or sleep and are always there.  Thank you for our faithfulness;  give us the courage and perseverance to carry high the banner of Christ daily;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

Waterfront Place, Serene Times

            One of the things I enjoy doing this time of year is sitting by bodies of water at the Carolina coast or some other waterfront locale.   I enjoy the view of the water and sometimes you might find me with a fishing rod in my hand  and  a fishing hook in the water.     There is something I have noticed when I am by a body of water and it is this:   when the water is still, I am able to see quite clearly a reflection of myself, trees, mountains, and the like.   As the character Forrest Gump says in the movie of the same name,  “you can see two skies:  one above and one beneath you.”  Likewise, when the water is choppy it is much harder to see the reflection. 

            I believe this simple truth is a fitting metaphor for my own life.   When I am at peace within, I am  a more able mirror of the love of Christ.    Likewise, when I am in duress and the storm clouds are living inside me, I am a poorer reflection of the love of Christ.     It is often fairly easy for me to feel serene when I am sitting by those bodies of water away from people, problems, and the stuff of life.   When I leave those serene places  and sabbath times, that is when the storm clouds make peace vanish from me like a morning fog. 

            Oh, to allow that serenity and peace of Christ to consume me and invade me in all times and all spaces and not just vacation times that the words of Jesus long ago might be true in me:   “Let your light so shine before others that they might give glory to the Father.”   Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O God, whose son Christ Jesus commanded the wind and waves long ago to “peace be still”, thank you for your presence in good times and bad news.   Help me to open my heart more fully that you might live in me;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen. 

The Forgotten and Overlooked Tithe

            One of the criticisms I hear occasionally from folks who are “church drop outs” or “church cop outs” is this:   “The only thing that the church wants from me is my money”.   From my experience, churches do talk about money.   Many churches, including the church where I serve as pastor, does give a weekly report on the offering received.   Likewise, many churches regularly give a report to the congregation or an organized church body on the income versus expenses.   Of course, there are the “television preachers” who ask for your  gifts. 

            When it comes to the offerings we give to the church and the Lord, the biblical guideline of our monies to the Lord is ten percent of what we have been given.     Isn’t it great that God desires us to give a percentage of what we have to him instead of a certain monetary amount?  All of us have been blessed with some money.  Some are blessed with little, and some are blessed with much.

            It occurs to me that myself and my fellow pastors have talked much about folks giving 10 percent of their monies to God, but there is another 10 percent that has gone forgotten and overlooked.   Too many of us “preacher types” fail to mention the importance of giving God  10 percent of our time and talents.      We serve a God who desires us to love him “with our heart, mind, soul, and strength”  (see Deuteronomy 6:4).      

            Each of us has the same amount of time:  24 hours a day, 7 days in a week.     While each of us has a choice about how we “spend” time, none of us can buy time or sell time.   Are you honoring God by giving Him 10 percent of your time?     Are you spending time regularly in   (as John Wesley put it) in “works of piety” like prayer, Bible study, worship, and the like?   Are you spending time regularly in “works of mercy” (as Wesley put it) helping those in need in our world and community?   

            Are you spending time regularly sharing your talents to help others?    Two business people I know give 8 hours of their time each week (a single day) to help others in their profession.       Business people sign up to spend a hour with these successful business people at no charge.   These business people do it freely and willingly because God has laid it on their heart to help others.  

            Today, this pastor asks you to prayerfully consider not just whether you put a tithe or 10 percent into the collection plate, but whether you give a tithe or 10 percent of your time and talents to the world around you.     I can guarantee you that you don’t have to tell me what you do or what you are doing, but I can guarantee you that someday each of us is going to answer about that to God.  Have a joy-filled week.-   Pastor Randy Wall  

Prayer:   O God, we thank you for your goodness to us all the time in a multitude of ways.   Help us to honor you by giving to you and others in every way;  through Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Giving Thanks for What Does Not Happen

There are a lot of folks who talk about the miseries of getting older, but let me tell you there are some joys in getting older too.   One of the fun parts of getting older is grandchildren.  The early days of July provided the opportunity for Ann and I to be together with our children, 3 son in laws, and 6 grandchildren for several days.  Our children are scattered across the country living in different states.   Unfortunately, that  means that all of us are together only on rare occasions.   Last week, Ann and I had  the joy of being together with  them.  

I enjoy being a grandparent.  I have such good memories of my own grandparents and time with them that I looked forward to the privilege for this stage in life.   It is good to tell them stories of my past… take them fishing… play games… and simply snuggle as they sit in my lap.  I come away from those rare times when I am with all my grandchildren exhausted yet invigorated. 

One of the greatest joys of this time together last  week was a privilege I had as a grandpa and as a pastor to baptize my youngest grandchild , Ezra Worth.    Above you will find a picture of Ezra in the arms of his Mom, Heather, along with his Dad, Amiri, and his two sisters, Madelyn and Eloise.  This picture was taken on the day of Ezra's baptism.   I was thrilled  the day that his Mom, Heather, called me to tell the news she was pregnant.    She was living with the rest of  her family in the United Arab Emirates at the time.   A few weeks later, she called to tell me news that concerned me:  doctors were concerned about the health of the unborn child.   I remember beginning a season of deep prayer for the child that grew inside Heather and for all our family not  knowing what the future would hold.   Heather and her family were so concerned about this that they soon made their way back to the USA wanting the best medical care for their child.   The good news is that all of it was a false alarm!   Ezra is a happy, healthy child. 

There is a passage of scripture that speaks to me when I think about the concern we had about the birth and health of Ezra Worth.   I Thessalonians 5:18 declares,   “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”     The apostle Paul wrote those words having known the reality of beatings and imprisonment for his faith as well as dealing with a mysterious “thorn in the flesh”.     Sometimes, I give thanks not for what is, but for what isn’t.  In this week, I give thanks that Ezra does not have a major health issue.  I give thanks for the privilege to be with children, son in laws, and grandchildren.    I give thanks that Ezra was born a healthy little boy that I had the chance to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   Can I show you some pictures of my grandchildren?     Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

  

Prayer:   O God, thank you for all the gifts that overflow in our lives daily and are never ceasing.  I especially give you thanks for the gift of family.   Bless them and help me be an  instrument of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Amen.

Thanks to the Young

It is the week of the 4^th of July.   As a child growing up in Burlington, this was a week when many of the textile mills would close for the whole week  and people would head to their favorite vacation destination.    Though the textile mills have virtually disappeared from many towns like Burlington, this is a week when many will  be  heading away from home.  

Though I graduated from school many years ago,  I still have a desire to learn.   In recent months, I have become more interested in American history.   I have read books on American leaders like Truman and Eisenhower, and on times in American history like the American revolution.    As I have read about that period of time called the American revolution, there are two learnings that stick out for me.  

First, I discovered that the people that were the leaders in the early days of what we call now the United State of American were young men and women.  Did you know that Thomas Jefferson, the chief writer of the Declaration of Independence, was only 33 years old when he wrote it!     Many of the other leaders in the early days of this country were in their 30’s and 40’s.    It was a reminder to me of how important are the young people in our world today.    Long ago, the apostle Paul told his young friend in Christ, Timothy:  “Let no one despise your youth”.  Though I and many of my peers might think the ideas and thoughts of the young are not worth considering,  we need to listen to them.   Perhaps they are the incubator for a revolution that is sorely needed in our world and country!

Secondly,  I discovered as I read and listened to the story of the beginnings of this country that the founders of this country literally put their lives and future on the line in their yearnings for freedom and democracy.      They were citizens of colonies of England, and their words and actions were sometimes quite treasonous.    Yet, they felt so passionately about it that they were willing to put their lives on the line.   Some of the ideas that I see on social media and on the news these days sometimes seem extreme.    Perhaps we need to respect persons enough to listen to their opinions as they might hold truths we need to consider.  Have a joy-filled week and God bless.  – Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:   O God, I give you thanks in these days for those men and women who yearned for freedom and who founded this country.   Thank you for them and for all who carry the light of freedom in these days;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.