 While in high school I purchased a paperback copy of The Guinness Book of World Records. That fat little book had some useful information in it, I’m sure. But mostly I was interested in the weird records…the world’s longest moustache, the longest place name in the world (somewhere in Wales), the person who’d been married the most times, etc.
You don’t have to buy the book any more. Just go online at the Guinness World Book Web Site. Yesterday was World Records Day, and over 300,000 people around the world tried to make it into the record book. New records were set or established in these categories:
Most people at a cream tea party
Furthest distance a champagne cork was spat
Oldest yoga instructor (She’s 91 and her photo is amazing)
Largest Soul Train Dance
Largest Rag Doll
Most chin-ups in one hour (If you guess 900 that’s too low)
Most power pushups in one minute
Most persons dressed like leprechauns in one place (Should we try to break this next St. Pat’s Day in Savannah?)
Largest Zumba Class
You can see photos of these record-setters here:
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2011/11/guinness-world-records-day-2011-the-day-in-pictures/
Now here’s a challenge for you: rather than figuring out some weird event in which to set a record in, why not practice those ordinary means of grace, as Wesley called them, that get us in touch with God? Regular prayer and Bible study, attendance at worship, receiving the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, fasting…these things won’t get you into the Guinness Book of World Records, but they will sure draw you near to the Kingdom of God, which is far more important!
I’ll see you Sunday at church…maybe even in record-setting numbers!!
Creede Hinshaw
|
Is it just me or are more prominent people than usual trying to extract themselves from difficult situations? The names Silvio Berlusconi, Joe Paterno, Rick Perry and Herman Cain come to mind immediately. I could also mention Nicolas Sarkozy and Barak Obama, caught in an off-mike conversation about Benjamin Netanyahu who may or may not be the easiest person to work with. I’m sure you can add other sports figures, international leaders or entertainers.
I cannot begin to fathom the pain in each of the above situations. Draw whatever conclusions you wish about the list of names above. One thing they share in common is that they are human beings who find themselves in varying degrees of travail. Whether the situations are of their own making in each case is open to debate. Whether these people are – or will – “get what they deserve” is also open to debate.
But one thing that is very certain is that you and I – in our own ways – will also find ourselves in some untenable positions from time to time. Some of them will be disasters of our own making, others will be the result of poor, but innocent choices and others yet will be the result of events entirely beyond our control thrust upon us.
Let us resist the temptation to glory over other people’s difficulties or to appoint ourselves as judge and jury. Let us insist, however, that people act honorably, as in the daylight, and not as people who walk in darkness. Let us be persons of deep and abiding prayer for the leaders of our nation and world, for these people in many walks of life have the privilege and burden of being mentors, exemplars, and shapers of the public good. Let us walk in the light that we have come to know and are coming to know in Christ, to learn from our own failures, and to believe that we can do better next time.
Creede Hinshaw
|
The clock on my computer is one minute faster than the clock on Bonnie’s desk is four minutes faster than the clock on the living room mantel is five minutes faster than the clock/radio on my side of the bed is three minutes slower than the guitar-playing rooster alarm clock on Bonnie’s side of the bed is one minute faster than the atomic clock on our screen porch is two minutes slower than the watch I wear on my wrist.
This cursory domestic chronological investigation failed to include the digital clocks in our two cars, our kitchen clock/radio or the thirty minute hourglass sitting beside my word processor. BTW, the clock on the stove doesn’t run at all and my cell phone clock agrees with the computer and a Radio Shack clock that sits on the table where I do my sermon work.
As the rock group Chicago asked some decades ago, “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?”
I mention time in a couple of contexts today:
(a) I’ve been reading and reflecting this week on Psalm 90, attributed to Moses. The Psalmist reminds us that our days, 70 or 80 years at best, pass quickly and we are no more remembered than the grass that is here today and gone tomorrow. Psalm 90 also notes that for God a thousand years are but the passing of yesterday.
(b) Because we tinker with time we delude ourselves into believing that we are masters of time. I could synchronize every watch/clock in my house, at least for a few minutes if I chose. And this Saturday evening/early Sunday morning we will turn our clocks back one hour, gaining an extra hour of sleep and reinforcing the notion of our ability to manipulate time. Nevertheless, God who is beyond time is Master.
Here’s one very practical implication of our time changing: we get an extra hour of sleep prior to Sunday worship, which could mean that more people will come to church and Sunday School within one or two minutes of whatever “on time” means. I’ll see you on Calhoun Square at 8:45 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. or thereabouts!
Creede Hinshaw
P.S. We’re serving spaghetti dinner tonight (5:30 – 7:30 p.m.) at the church for our community and for some of the 23,000 runners who are in town. Don’t have a ticket? Come on anyway!
|
This Sunday the Lutheran and Presbyterian communions observe Reformation Sunday, commemorating that momentous day, October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, an act that eventually led to the formation of the Protestant Church.
Although we do not observe this day with the same fervor as our Lutheran brothers and sisters, we remember Luther as one whose life and thought is writ large in world history and so I pass along some Luther quotes compiled by the periodical Christian History (Vol. 11, No. 2):
On the Bible: The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.
On human nature: Nothing is easier than sinning.
On temptation: Temptations, of course, cannot be avoided, but because we cannot prevent the birds from flying over our heads, there is no need that we should let them nest in our hair.
On speaking the truth: A lie is like a snowball. The longer it is rolled on the ground the larger it becomes.
On preaching: When I preach I regard neither doctors or magistrates, of whom I have above 40 in my congregation; I have my eyes on the servant maids and on the children. And if the learned men are not well pleased with what they hear, well, the door is open.
On prayer: O, if only I could pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he has no thought, wish, or hope.
On Christian freedom: If our Lord is permitted to create nice large pike and good Rhine wine, presumably I may be allowed to eat and drink.
On music: I have no use for cranks who despise music, because it is a gift of God. Next after theology, I give to music the highest place and the greatest honor.
On the church: Farewell to those who want an entirely pure and purified church. This is plainly wanting no church at all.
On himself: Our Lord God must be a pious man to be able to love rascals. I can’t do it, and yet I am a rascal myself.
On himself: If I rest, I rust.
Creede Hinshaw
|
Last Sunday at 11:00 a.m. worship the highlight of the service was the deeply moving testimony of Dr. George Barber. Here’s the background:
Our adult Sunday School classes are waging a good-natured 5-week attendance contest with the most and least successful class receiving a weekly traveling trophy. For two weeks running the Albright Class (our youngest and newest members) has earned the coveted Circuit Rider trophy while the Fellowship Class (our oldest and longest term members) has received the “try harder next week” Buzzard trophy.
Last Sunday Dr. George Barber, receiving the buzzard trophy for the Fellowship Class, told our congregation: “Our class receives this trophy with no shame. We’re the oldest members of this church. Three class members in attendance this morning are over 90 years old. Many of us come with aches and pains. We know that every day is a gift from God and we’re glad to be here.” Dr. Barber’s words were much more eloquent than I’ve conveyed, spoken with that joyful, triumphant, sincere spirit that is his hallmark. He received a spontaneous round of applause which was an appreciative and affectionate display of gratitude for the Fellowship Class.
Some members of the Fellowship Class are cradle roll members of Wesley Monumental who were once the young adult class of our church. All of these dutiful class members long ago resolved to be faithful Methodist Christians. They have imparted faith in Christ to children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, made financial sacrifices in service of the gospel, led thankless committees, cast wide visions, sang in choirs, supported pastors and this church through thick and thin, washed dishes in the church kitchen, waxed church floors, kept the lights on in the church when it looked like there was no way forward, faithfully heeded the calls to service from bishops, presiding elders, and pastors and did whatever it took to keep Wesley Monumental UMC faithfully witnessing to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. They remain in service to this day and are beacons of faith and an inspiration to our newer, younger members. They follow Jesus and want others to do the same.
I pray that the rest of our congregation will display the character of this longest serving, most faithful class of Christian servants and salute the Fellowship Class for the faith and witness they continue to share. It has been wonderful to see both our newest and oldest church members receiving Sunday School awards together these past two weeks.
Creede Hinshaw
P.S. Speaking of Sunday School, all adult classes will gather in the Fellowship Hall this week to meet and hear Mr. David Worthington from Bristol, England, who will talk about Methodism’s earliest days in Bristol where the New Room, Methodism’s oldest church, is still in service to Methodism. Each class will take attendance in the Fellowship Hall. Don’t miss this inspiring program. Oh yes, of course you can come even if you are not a Sunday School class member!
P.P.S. You will absolutely want to attend Monica Harper’s first concert in our sanctuary this Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. I’ve been listening to her rehearse and this will be a fabulous, inspirational hour. We are overjoyed that Monica is with us, and this is your opportunity to bring friends and neighbors to hear and meet Savannah’s finest organist. A reception will follow in our fellowship hall at 4 p.m.
|
“Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
1 Corinthians 4:2 (King James Version)
There is something rewarding about being found faithful and I’m glad we’re emphasizing this phrase as our stewardship theme on the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
Deep inside being found faithful is important to all of us. Of first importance I want to be found faithful in God’s eyes. But in addition I pray to be found faithful as a father, a husband, a United Methodist pastor, as a witness to the love of Jesus Christ, as a citizen of this nation. I don’t want to be accused of dereliction of duty on any level.
I am praying that you, too, want to be found faithful by completing a pledge card and bringing it with you to worship this Sunday. This small, significant act of obedience is one tangible way in which we present ourselves to God as faithful disciples.
Are you considering not completing a pledge card at all? Perhaps you’ve never done so in the past. Pray about it first. God can give you the heart to both begin and then complete a pledge which may seem intimidating.
Have you quickly arrived at an amount to share for 2011? Pray some more. The first number that comes to our mind may not be the amount God desires for us!
Many of our church family, knowing they will be out of town this Sunday, have already submitted their pledge cards by mail, at the office or on our website. If you will be away this Sunday it’s not too late to do this as an act of obedience to God and faithfulness to the church.
We are expecting a large and enthusiastic turnout this Sunday at both services of worship. Come eager and receptive to God’s leading. Jesus calls us to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, forgive the sinner, and raise the dead! (Matthew 10). The church does those acts of love through the power of the risen Christ.
Creede Hinshaw
P.S. (1) At worship this Sunday you will see something never before seen in our church! I believe it will be quite inspiring. (2) We’ll enjoy a delicious, complimentary Sunday dinner together after the eleven o’clock worship service…both inside our fellowship hall and on Wayne Street on a glorious fall afternoon. I know you aren’t coming for the smothered shrimp, but it doesn’t hurt the cause. (3) Remember the Sunday School attendance contest! No class wants to receive that ignominious buzzard!!
|
Lillian Beard had money to burn. To put it more accurately, she burned up her money unwittingly.
Ms. Beard, 66, washed her blue jeans one day, forgetting the $462 in the pockets. Wanting to dry her money she micro-waved the bills, never considering she might incinerate her cash. By the time she’d realized her error those soggy bills had been transformed into an expensive pile of ashes.
A woman of good humor, she decided to keep the ashes in a jar to show her friends that she had money to burn. But when somebody informed her that the Treasury Department would help citizens with money that has been irreversibly destroyed she sent her pile of ashes to Washington, D.C. and received a check for $231 to replace the amount of money the government could reasonably identify.
Mr. Beard, who had once thought she’d lost the entire $462, promptly gave most of the “new money” to the American Cancer Society and paid off a couple of friends’ bills with the rest.
It’s a heart-warming story (sorry!) in many ways. She had the money, lost the money; received the money, gave the money.
Here at Wesley Monumental we are going through (most of) these same steps as we encourage every church member to be found faithful by completing a pledge for our 2012 budget.
I hope you won’t need to go through the process of inadvertently burning up your assets to discover the motivation to be generous. If there is any fire in this process I pray that it will be the flame of the Holy Spirit burning in each heart, because when that happens people become boldly generous.
Please bring your pledge cards to the church on Sunday, October 16th when we’ll lay them at the altar. If you’re going to be out of town that day bring/send/mail/email your pledge card to the church ahead of time. Stay after church on October 16th to enjoy a fabulous meal, served at tables in the fellowship hall or buffet style on Taylor Street.
We are praying for a dramatic increase in the number of persons/families turning in pledge cards this year. I believe we can receive 350 cards. We are praying for every card to be submitted by October 16th rather than dragging out this process for an extra few months.
350 pledge cards. October 16th. Be bold. Be prepared. Catch the flame!
Creede Hinshaw
|
“Nobody’s perfect.”
How many ways can you speak that phrase? How many different inflections can you employ?
Sometimes we say “nobody’s perfect” to console one who has failed. At other times we say it with a philosophical shrug in the aftermath of a colossal mistake. Sometimes, having been browbeaten over our incompetence, we have defended ourselves with these two words. Sometimes we even use these words to justify our rebellious behavior.
Nobody’s perfect: it’s an all-purpose phrase. Is that good news or bad news simply the way things are?
Thomas Merton is helpful here. The late Trappist monk wrote,
“Mistakes are a part of our life, and not the least important part… As long as we are on earth our vocation is precisely to be imperfect, incomplete, insufficient in ourselves, changing, hapless, destitute, and weak… The power of God…must somehow find its way into our lives…” (No Man is an Island, page 128-129).
I don’t want to appear hapless or insufficient. Do you? What kind of impression would that make on others? Aren’t we called to great competence, stellar accomplishments, success and more success? Doesn’t the Apostle Paul promise that we can do all things through God who loves us? Didn’t Jesus promise that we could do even greater things than he himself? Don’t Christians always succeed??
And yet…and yet…there is this oft overlooked matter of our treasure being found in earthen vessels. Nobody’s perfect. Nobody. Let that be a gift for you today. Receive the grace of God. Let go of the notion that you are godlike. Before the day is over you and I are going to mess up somewhere. Forgive yourself. Forgive others. Face a new day. I’ll see you this Sunday!
Creede Hinshaw
|
|
Last week, returning to Savannah from Saint Simons Island on “back road” US 17, I enjoyed the moss draped scenery, the small towns, the marsh and the feel of rural Georgia. If you’re in no particular hurry those “blue highways” (old-timers who used the archaic gas station road maps understand the reference) are far more relaxing and peaceful than the interstates.
|
|
Read more... [Along the Way 9-23-11]
|
Worldwide attention is focused on Georgia because of the pending execution of Savannah citizen Troy Davis, convicted in the 1989 slaying of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. The execution is set for September 21, 2011; Davis has exhausted all appeals and his fate rests with the hands of the 5-member Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole.
I cannot begin to imagine how the MacPhail family feels over the brutal death of this honorable law enforcement officer and the ensuing twists, turns and delays of the 22 year old case. I cannot begin to imagine how the Davis family feels as their family member has steadfastly maintained his innocence over these 22 years. Both families and many people across the world are praying for justice and closure, hoping for very different outcomes. Some believe justice will be served when Davis dies by lethal injection. Others believe that such an outcome will deny justice. Both sides buttress their viewpoint with religious, moral and legal propositions.
My own understanding of being a disciple of Jesus Christ includes opposition to the death penalty, agreeing with our Book of Resolutions that “the death penalty falls unfairly and unequally on an outcast minority” and that “there is no evidence that its use reduces violent crime.” The Book of Resolutions also states that capital punishment “violates our deepest belief in God as the Creator and the Redeemer of humankind.” At the same time United Methodists are called upon to work for ways of providing spiritual support and understanding for victims and families who are entitled to their constitutional rights and to the assurance that those who have committed crime will be punished appropriately.
The Board of Pardons and Parole has received 663,000 petitions asking for clemency for Troy Davis, including more than 1,500 legal professionals, 3,300 religious leaders, 26 death-row exonorees and 110 relatives of murder victims asking for Davis’ execution to be halted. Petitions have come from every part of the world, including Pope Benedict XVI and Bishop Desmond Tutu.
A petition has also come from one of Georgia’s most staunchly conservative political leaders, former federal prosecutor and former U.S. Congressman Bob Barr, Jr. Also appealing for clemency is former FBI Director William Sessions, appointed by President Ronald Reagan. People of this standing lend credibility to this appeal. Every Catholic Bishop in Georgia has appealed for clemency, including highly respected Bishop J. Kevin Boland of the Savannah Diocese. The bishops cite the fact that since 1976 138 people have been wrongly convicted in capital cases in the United States, 6 here in Georgia and that the merits of this particular case have been called into question for many reasons, not the least being that 7 of the 9 witnesses have recanted their testimony and one of the witnesses may be the murderer.
The anguish in every capital punishment case is overwhelming; we live in a world where sin knows no bounds. Even if you disagree with me on this painful issue, as people of good Christian conscience can do, I know that you join me in praying that God’s ultimate will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven.
Creede Hinshaw
P.S. Last Wednesday night 43 children attended children’s choirs. Close to 20 youth attended the first youth choir rehearsal and we’re running out of space in the adult choir loft. I’ll see you this Sunday!
|
|
|
