Tom's Message - June 23

Hey, everyone!

Yikes! Sorry I’m so late with this!!

I forgot I hadn’t remembered to do it!

Not the only thing I’ve forgotten to remember lately, tho’…

Last week, I was having a little bit(!) of a “sloggy” kind of time, trying to think what I was going to do to solve a clump of problems staring at me like I had the answers and/or the ability to implement them if I did. I was feeling a little bit weighed down and weary by it all…

And then I remembered!

I forgot something!

I have a few “sayings”, “slogans” (or I guess you’d just call ‘em sentences) I try to remember if not daily, almost daily. Ready?

#1 “My time is today”…Today is the only day I’m thinking about.

#2 “My job is to serve”. I’m just here to serve people!

#3 “My goal is to please God”…I can’t please everyone, but His is the smile I live for!

#4 “My fight is for joy”…If I’m gonna have it, I know I have to fight for it!

#5 “My strength is weakness”…When my strength is gone, that’s when I call out for His!

I’d forgotten the last one!

I couldn’t solve those problems!!

#5??? How’d I’d forget you?? In all those problems I shoulda remembered from the first one, I don’t have what it takes to handle ANY of them!!”

Most of the time when I have complicated problems it’s usually because I’ve forgotten something simple I shoulda easily remembered!

And I had just read in the first chapter of 2nd Peter where he had just reminded them of some very simple things…

“even though you know them!” (2 Peter 1:12)

“…I will always remind you of these things! In fact, I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body…!”

I’m always going to be reminding you of the things you already know!

Because most of the time, we have complicated problems…

and we look for complicated answers…

because we’ve forgotten simple things!

I’ve been reading again those amazingly sweet and rich books C S Lewis wrote for kids (and me!) about Narnia and right now I’m in “The Silver Chair”.

A school girl who had never been to Narnia found herself outside of her school yard but not quite in Narnia… in a place kind of in-between…

talking to Aslan! The Lion Himself!

He was sending her and her classmate Eustace on a mission to find a lost prince …“until either you have found him…or died in the attempt”.

He then gave Jill four signs “by which I will guide you in your quest”.

The first was that when they got to Narnia, the boy Eustace would meet an old friend; he must greet him at once.

The second was that they were to journey north until they came to the ruined city of the ancient giants.

And there were two others.

“Child,” said Aslan, in a gentler voice than he had yet used, “The first step is to remember. Repeat to me, in order, the four signs.” “

Jill tried, and didn’t get them quite right. So the Lion corrected her, and made her repeat them again and again till she could say them perfectly. He was very patient over this…”

When Jill wondered how she should get to Narnia, Aslan assured her that she would be blown there on wind of his breath.

“Stand still,” he said. “But, first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by hear. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.”

My time is today!

My fight is for joy!

Let us not forget to remember simple things!

(#5? How’d I forget THAT one?! Dang!)

Tom's Message - June 16

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome day! Hope your heart is as sunny as the skies on this super sunny Friday and I hope it has a song in it that will just fill you with the thoughts you need to hold on to all through the day!

Speaking of songs that give joy and hope to those who might be having a hard time and how those who struggle are usually those who sing the loudest and best…

I WAS talking about that on Sunday!

Sometimes on Sundays I get a few more things stuffed in my thoughts than my brain can hold and I forget the end of a story. 

I told a story and here's the ending I forgot to share…

I was talking about a hymn with the most beautiful words…And melody!

It’s called “Lift Every Voice and Sing!”

It’s become known as the African American National Anthem and has been sung by the greatest choirs around the world! As well as recorded and performed by the great opera star Leontyne Price, as well as Bebe Winans, Beyonce, Ray Charles, Alicia Keyes, and loads more!

“Lift every voice and sing   

Till earth and heaven ring,

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the listening skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us.   

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on till victory is won.”

It’s just beautiful!

But it was originally written for Abraham Lincoln’s 96th birthday!

James Weldon Johnson was a composer in Jacksonville Florida and he and his brother wrote the song and music to celebrate the special day at the school where James was the principal!

The date was Feb 12, 1900 and the special song was going to be sung by a choir of 500 African American elementary school students.

And they did!

“God of our weary years,   

God of our silent tears,

Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way;

Thou who hast by Thy might   

Led us into the light,

Keep us forever in the path, we pray.

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;

Shadowed beneath Thy hand,   

May we forever stand.   

True to our God,

True to our native land.”

I’m sure there wasn’t a tearless cheek anywhere!

So the part I forgot to tell was…

James and his brother, J. Rosamond left Jacksonville shortly after to begin a new life in New York City in the musical world. They never really thought again about the song they left for others to sing. They didn’t know that it had nestled into hurting hearts and had begun to live there. The teachers at the elementary school taught it to the kids of each successive year. And many of those kids grew, became teachers and taught it to their kids. Within 20 years, it was sung in churches and in schools across the South and soon, all around the country! And then the world!!

A song that gives hope and puts words to faith for those who are holding onto both more than anything, is a wonderful gift!

(Happy birthday, James Weldon Johnson!)

Triple C News - June 9

Hey, everyone! 

Hope you're having an awesome, joyous, praise-filled Friday! It's gonna be a beautiful day and if your plans inclu...

Hang on a sec. 

I need to do better than "Hope you're having" this or that kind of day! 

It's one thing to hope something and another thing to offer some real help in how to have a day like that! Let's see...

What would help?...

Oh! Here's something!

I remember this woman who was talking about her mom...

Seems her parents were missionaries in Africa. It was tough there! Most of the years they served in extreme rural conditions and they didn’t even have electricity, let alone AC! But her mom and dad always had the sunniest of attitudes and seemed to make every day "an awesome, joyous, praise-filled" one! 

This young woman with days filled with kids, dirty dishes, and stinky diapers wondered how her mom did it!! How was she always so cheerful?

When her mom died, the daughter discovered the mother's secret...

Reading one of her mom's journals, she found that inside the front cover she wrote three rules for the heart...

"1) Never complain about anything ever. This includes the weather.

2) Never compare your life with that of anyone else.

3) Never wish your life was in any way different from what it actually is."

Wow! 

No complaining.

No comparing.

No pointless wishing.

That may not tell you what TO do to have "an awesome, joyous, praise-filled Friday" but it will tell you what NOT to do to make sure you won’t NOT have one if you DO do what you'd have to do to have one!

(Did I say that right?)

Triple C News - June 2

Hey, everyone!

Wow! Lots goin’ on this week in Triple C world! Let’s see…

A busload of kids and leaders will be on their way to a beeeeeeautiful Young Life camp just past Brevard NC for a week of hearing about, thinking about and deciding about the prospect of opening their hearts to the love of a Savior and Friend Who has promised…and can…and will!…make all things new…

And we already have kids “out there” in these camps (or on their way shortly!) AND around the world, serving the One Who already made all things new for them…

And there is a loads of folks involved in all kinds of things around town (and K-town!) to help others know Him better…

So…

First announcement! 

In the light of all of the above…

Monday evening at 6:30pm…

and/or Tuesday morning at 6:00am…

we always meet to pray! For ourselves, our community, our town, our world!

Ever heard of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorl??

So, he was a super rich aristocrat who lived in a kind of German Downtown Abbey in Berthesdorf, Germany in the early 1700’s. He super loved Jesus and when some hassled and persecuted Moravian Jesus followers asked if they might live on his property for a while to catch a breath, he welcomed them with open arms and an open heart! Wasn’t long before it became a cozy little village of them. With all they had been through, they were a little raggedy, emotionally and some quibbling broke out, complete with hurt feelings and all the rest that goes with that stuff. Count Nick took the lead and invited them all to a time of reflecting and seeking Jesus’ heart…

a time to “confess the mess” and forgive!

And they did!

But wait! There’s more!

Some of them (48 brothers and sisters in Jesus, to be exact) liked being in step with Jesus so much that they decided to commit to praying together…

around the clock…

two by two by two…

each couple taking a one-hour shift…

so that one pair was interceding for their village every hour for an entire day!!

And they did it the next day!

And the next!

God began to encourage them with beautiful answers to all their “asks”!

And their hearts grew!

And they began to talk to their Father in Heaven about other counties…

and the whole country…

and other countries…

and all the world!!

This went on without stopping for several days…

and weeks…and months…

in fact, they prayed non-stop for 100 years!!

They talked to Him about how people needed Jesus…

(He knew!)

and what they might do about it…

(He also knew this!)

and before they were done, 300 of the “citizens” of this sweet village had gone to the West Indies, Greenland, Turkey, Lapland, and beyond, sharing His love everywhere with everyone!

So, we meet on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Our Monday time has been going on every week for about eleven years or so.

We’re more than 10% of the way there!

Not bad!

Come join us!


Triple C News - May 26

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome, joy-filled day! 

May you find all the peace you need for this day!

May you find all you need for all your needs today!

May you find all your hopes fulfilled!

May you find all your eggs they’ve laid!

(Wait. I didn’t really mean to say that.)

It’s been a long month, folks! 

Tina was in California for most of it and I “got” to care for the goats and all her chickens! 

I learned alot! 

Goats? They’re simple! They eat grass and drink out of the creek!

Chickens? Well…it’s complicated!

Did you know there’s a difference between chicken feed and “chicken scratch”?

Chicken feed is nutritious and boring. Chicken scratch is less of that but a lot sweeter! 

It’s like the difference between your kids eating oatmeal or Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries every morning. 

After two days of that, they were hopping all over the place! 

Tina said, “I bet they LOOOVE you!!”

And I didn’t really know that chickens lay their eggs all over the place! 

Sometimes they lay them in the chicken coop but lots of times they plop ‘em on the ground somewhere! Sometimes, they leave them laid anywhere!

And sometimes they like to find a special hiding place…

It’s like Ol’ McDonald! 

“With a laid egg here. 

A laid egg there. 

Here an egg. 

There an egg. 

Everywhere a laid egg!”

One of “the girls” found a secret favorite spot in the barn behind a gate. I’d check it everyday to see if she’d made her “deposit”. One day I walked in on her while she was “busy”.

I looked at her.

She looked up at me.

It was awkward!

Ever walk into a bathroom and the door wasn’t locked but someone was in there?

I thought I heard her cluck, “Occupied!”

You have to look for their eggs more than I imagined but they’re so worth the search!

Eggs are rich in choline for building new cells for old muscles!

They’ve got loads of lutrein for good vision so you can see better!

And they’re one of the only foods with Vitamin D! They’re a little round box of sunshine!

So, lately when I get up in the morning…get the coffee on(!!)…and read some Scriptures for my sleepy heart, I’ve been reading along with a “the Bible In a Year” plan. 

Some mornings it can feel a little “random” in the sense of…

“if I was going to pick where and what to read in God’s Word for today, it might not necessarily have been this!”

But just like among the chickens, I find nutritious treasures everywhere! 

Because just like when you’re gathering eggs…

I’m looking for them! 

Like the other day…

My Scripture for the day was:

Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12

2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7

Psalm 47:1-9 

Proverbs 22:16

Coffee 2 cups-4 sugars (Wait! That was another thing!)

So I’m reading along, looking for treasures…

Looking…looking…looking…

“Hey! There’s one! Just the Scripture I need for today!!”

It was Ecclesiastes 5:19 and it had to do with enjoyment being an ability you can develop…

(It’s complicated but it was just what I needed!)

I find Scriptures every morning and sometimes in unlikely places that are kind of like…eggs!

They give me stronger spiritual muscles!

They improve my spiritual vision and help me see better!

And they’re…well… like sunshine to my heart!

And just like Farmer Tina’s chickens’ eggs, the reason I find them is…

I’m looking for them!

Triple C News - May 19

Hey everyone!

Hope you're having an awesome day! 

Or maybe I should say, "I hope no one's having a non-awesome day!”

Or maybe, "Hope nobody's not having a non-awesome day!" 

I'm a little confused on how to say it because the other day I was going down the ol’ turnpike near Melton Lake Drive and I wound up behind a Sara Lee truck. On the back it said…

 "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee!"

I thought, "Is that right?" 

"Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee…" hmmm...

Shouldn't it be, "Nobody doesn't NOT like it”?

It’s saying (I think), “Someone doesn't like Sara Lee. That person is…nobody”.  

There is someone who doesn't like it but that person doesn't exist.

Huh?

How's this?…"There is nobody who does not like it"

Wouldn't it be simpler to say, "Everybody likes Sara Lee!" 

It's kind of like this lady who came up to us in a coffee shop in Turkey Creek one morning around 7:15…

"Excuse me but I'm from Massachusetts and I'm here for a conference. Last night I asked a person from here in Tennessee if he would give me a ride to the meetings this morning. He answered, 'I wouldn't care to.’.

Does that mean he's coming, or not coming?" 

We assured her that it means he was on his way!

Reminds me of some verses in the Letter to the Hebrews. It's in chapter thirteen…Verses five and six…

"…Be content with what you have, because God has said,'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid…' "

Actually that verse has a lot of "double negatives" in it. In correct English, you shouldn't really use them. For example, you shouldn't say, "I ain't never seen nothing like that before!" 

You should either say, "I have NEVER seen…" Or, "I ain't EVER seen…"

But to use two negatives together, as in, "I ain't never seen…" strictly speaking, ain't correct.

You know, the person who wrote Hebrews was writing to folks who were having really difficult times because they had come to follow and love Jesus. 

To know Him makes your life and days so much better in a million ways! 

But following Him also makes life and times tougher for millions of our brothers and sisters in Jesus around the world! Surrounded by families and societies that don't understand or appreciate His love and His beauty, they often find themselves alone or hurting because of their new and amazingly "stubborn" faith in Him.

A person who is new to the walk with Jesus and confused by problems that not only don't vanish but in some ways even multiply since they have trusted in Him, might ask themselves…

”Has God left me! 

What did I do? 

Why is He so…

far away?…

Hello?…

Are You still there?"

It is always super confusing when life gets tough even though you have Him. There are tons of questions that have no answer that would make sense to us. No one knows why such tough things happen, really. I think it's probably more complicated than we could understand. 

But there is one thing we can be sure of! 

The whole entire time…

He loves you more than you could know…

more than you love yourself! 

And He is doing things that are amazing and couldn't have happened in any other way! 

And He has never… 

will never…

NEVER EVER leave you for one moment! 

In fact, just so there's no doubt about it, in the Greek language…

which is the language they wrote those New Testament letters and stories in…

Hebrews 13:5 literally says…

"Indeed, He Himself has said, ‘No, not will I leave you, not even, no not will I forsake you!' "

Wow! "Not even, no not!" That's not a double negative! 

It's a triple!

I guess it would be easier to just say, "I will always be will you!”

And He did say! 

Right before He went up into the sky and clouds and out of sight as they wondered, "What?! Is He leaving us?" He said, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of time!" (Matthew 28:20)

But there will be difficult moments when it's super important to know that…

not only is He with me…

but…

He has NOT…

will NOT…

will NOT ever…

won’t NEVER NOT leave us! 

NOT NEVER!

Among those who love Jesus, nobody doesn't like knowing that!

Triple C News - May 12

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having an awesome day!

And what a day this will be!

A day to praise!

A day to sing!

Maybe a day to try something new!

How ‘bout putting in a garden?

Or trying that new recipe?

Or maybe start training for a marathon?

“What?!”

You know…a marathon! 

They’re so fun!

Last Friday, Coach Froning asked me to come to early morning FCA at ORHS and talk about Hebrews 12:1 and 2 and “running the race set before us…”

I think it was because I’ve run several of those long ones.

I'm not exactly sure why I love those 26.2 mile races… 

Once I did one in Nashville and that “.2” was the longest .2 miles in the world! 

Although one thing that really helped those of us stumbling and staggering 

toward the finish line was that the curbs on both sides were full of people

yelling for us to make it and keep going!

 "You're almost there! Way to go! Just a little more!"

In fact, I told the kids last Friday that one thing I noticed during that particular race was that a lot of runners had a name printed on the front or back of their shirts. 

Sometimes it was on the front AND back. 

Just a first name…

like "Jill" or "Kate" or "Frank". 

"Wonder what that's all about?" I asked myself. 

Then I figured it out. 

At about the 17th mile, when it had thinned out a little along the road 

(at the start, there were 30,000 of us nuts out there!) 

people along the route were calling out…

names!

"Go, Jill!...C'mon, Kate!...You can do this, Frank! 

Keep going, 1182! You doin' great!"

"1182?? Hey!! That’s my number!” I thought.

Then I got it! The reason people had first names on their shirts was that it was the name of the person inside the shirt! 

It was printed on there so people you didn't even know could call it out to encourage you! 

To call your name and cheer you on! 

To tell you that you matter to them! …

That they wanted to see you, who might be beginning to have a little bit of a struggle, make it to the end! 

Along with the marching bands and cheer-leading squads, it was amazing to think that there were people who got up on purpose just to encourage people they didn't even know!

People like Kate, Jill, and 1182!

In the Letter to the Hebrews that was written to people who were following Jesus…

running their race…

 AND who were having a tough time by that point…

it says…

”And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of

doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see

the Day approaching…"

Or as a different translation puts it…

”Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, 

not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, 

especially as we see the big Day approaching."

Y'know, that's one thing Sunday’s all about! 

It's about getting together…

singing!…

praising!…

telling our God that we looooove Him!!

AND it's about cheering each other on! 

It's about getting together and telling each other…

”You can make it! This matters! Keep going!!"

Sometimes, just knowing you're there... 

worshiping Jesus with all your heart... 

singing to Him... 

lifting your heart to Him... 

is all the encouragement a struggling runner needs to keep going in his or her

race!

You're there because Jesus died and rose again to have…

our hearts…

our praise…

our worship!

You're there because your heart longs for…

loves to…

and needs to worship and praise Jesus!

AND you're there because there is someone there who is having a tough

race. They need a lot of encouragement to keep going! 

Even if you don't know who they are…

even if you don't know their name…

you can count on it! 

They're out there!

And you, having a heart to worship…

a heart to praise…

a heart to love God's Word to you…

are saying to them…

”This matters to me! 

It’s important! 

Don't quit! 

I won't!...

Keep going, Frank!...

Keep running, Jill!

And Kate!…

You'll make it, 1182!!”…

Triple C News - May 5

Hey, everyone!

Wow! I can’t wait ’til this Sunday!!

Worshipping Jesus outside at Elm Grove Park!! Just to remember!!

To remember the fourteen months we did that! 

Singing, praying, praising, preaching…outside!! In a park!!

The birds would be chirping…

the sun would be shining…

(and sometimes, snow would be falling! We met twice in the snow!)…

dogs would be sleeping during the messages…

(humans less because it was just easier to stay awake out there!)

Folding chairs…

smiling faces (behind the masks!)…

sweating or shivering, depending on the month…

In a world filled with loneliness and fear unlike anything we’d ever known, we were…

being together…

being a family…

finding our joy…

loving our Lord…

together!!

And Jesus our Shepherd led us!!

To think we would one day even have beautiful memories from such a scary time!

Last night, I wondered…

“What did I used to write about in my Friday blog during the days of the Corona Virus??”

So, I looked around and found some of them…

As we head toward Sunday, and a morning of praise “down Memory Lane”…

here’s what I wrote on May 1, 2020…

(We hadn’t started “Praise In the Park” yet!)

"May 1, 2020

Hey, everyone!

Wow! We miss seeing everyone soooooo much! 

We hope it won’t be long till we’re together again! 

In these confusing days, everyone has so many questions! 

It must be soooo complicated for those in charge of things! Folks likes governors, mayors, prime ministers and presidents…

The ones who have to make the big decisions.

“Should we open the beaches? Should we not?…

Should we open the Smokies? Should we not?…

Should we open the churches? Should we not?…”

I wonder what I would do?

What if they decided they were going to have a lottery and the winner gets to be the President for a little while and has a turn at deciding the big stuff…

What if I won? 

What would I do?

Oh! I know!!

If I got a lucky turn to be the President during the Corona Virus, first thing I’d do would be…

Let’s see…

I’d give a nation-wide primetime address from the East Room of the White House…

(Or maybe a fireside chat would be appropriate…Wonder where they have the fireplace?)

In my speech, I would share the message of Jesus with everyone watching. I would explain to everyone “in these uncertain times” how they could know for certain that they could be forgiven of all their sins and certain of going to Heaven by believing the Good News of Jesus! 

“What does that have to do with the crisis??”

I’m not sure! But it would be my only chance to talk to that many people!

Then, I would have an Executive Order mailing a copy of the Gospel of John (complete with study questions!) in English, Spanish, Chinese, and several other languages to every household. 

My next decision would be…

just like Lincoln did on May 30, 1863…

to call for a “National Day of Confession and Humiliation”.

“…Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon…”

I’d encourage everyone to read Matthew 5-7 and Galatians 5:19 through 22…

and to ask themselves…

“During these days of the Corona Virus and all these new restrictions and limitations…

Do I hate anyone? (Galatians 5:22)

Have I hated…instead of loved… those who disagree with me? 

(Matthew 5:44)

Have I truly cared about the poor and vulnerable as much as I care about myself? Or not?(Matthew 6:2)

Have I slandered or talked bad about others who disagree with me? (Galatians 5:20)

Do I judge other people and their motives? Do I think bad stuff about them and spread it? (Matthew 7:1-2)”

You know, all those things.

And then everyone would confess those things to God. 

And repent of them! 

And ask forgiveness for them!!

Wouldn’t it be amazing if everyone across America and around the world did that??

What if millions of us truly searched our hearts and confessed to God the stuff that isn’t right about the ways I’ve come to think and talk and do?

What if millions of us in private…

and in sincerity…

and in humility…

and in true dependency…

asked God to help us in ways that only He could?

What if everyone was reading the Gospel of John right now?

I know my ideas are unconstitutional as all get out and I wouldn’t get to be President for long…

But I like ‘em!”

Triple C News - APRIL 28

Hey, everyone!

Hope you’re having a joy-filled day! And I hope…

“Hang on a sec…Joy-filled? Seriously, Tom? I mean, ‘joyful’ is reasonable…Or, ‘I hope you have some joy today…’ But ‘joy-FILLED’? Every second? That’s asking a lot!”

I can see that. 

I mean, not EVERY second can be joyful, I guess. 

Like, you have to sleep sometimes. 

And to be quite frank, I’ve had to struggle a little more than usual for joy in my heart lately.

I wasn’t really sure why. 

I thought…

“Time with the Lord in the morning? Check.”

“Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, so it’s not Him! It must be me!” I thought.

Then I remembered what I forgot to remember!!

Everyday, I try to remember a few basics. Ready?

1) “My job is to serve.” If I focus on helping, I’m in my lane.

2) “My goal, however is to please God.” His is the only smile I really live for.

3) “My time is today.” Today is the only day I need to think about.

4) “My strength is weakness.” I feel His help the most when I feel the most helpless.

5) “My fight is for joy.” If I’m going to have it, I’ll have to fight for it.

If joy is escaping me, I’m usually forgetting one of these.

“Hmmm…Which of these am I forgetting to remember?”

And then I remembered!

I’m forgetting #3!

“My time is today!!”

After all, Jesus said, “Give NO thought for tomorrow!”

And Paul said, “Forget what is behind!”

In fact, two cups of “regrets about the past” 

(or fresh “shame” can be substituted if you’re out of regrets) 

and three tablespoons of “dread about the future”, stirring in one quart of “doom scrolling” the news on the internet, and you have the perfect recipe for anxiety!

God gives grace for today! 

And tomorrow He’ll give me grace for that day when it becomes “today”

So “today” was the only day I should have thought about yesterday. One day at a time!

I remember the last time I went thru a patch of this.

It was when I was doing this chaplain training program at UT Medical…

With all the assignments I’ve had to think about…

that were due “next Thursday” or “next Monday”…

And having to remember what my schedule would be for church stuff and hospital commitments in the days ahead…

I was thinking a lot about the future and the week(s) ahead and I forgot that…

“my time is today”!!

One assignment that had me focused on the future, was getting ready for a big day on the horizon.

On that Monday, I had to be at the hospital at 8:00am for classes until 4:00pm and then I had the over-night, “chaplain on-call” duty. 

Which meant that for the first time, I’d be there from 8:00am to 8:00am!

There’s a place to sleep if you can grab some, but it’s busy at night with folks needing a chaplain in loads of places and cases!

Tina and I are rarely up past 9:45 so I was honestly a little anxious, thinking ahead.

But, when that Monday finally came…

my classes that day were really interesting, with lots of stuff to learn!

And the on-call shift had me running around…

all over the place… 

literally all night! 

Trying my best to be a help and encouragement to everyone who needed some!

It was intense and emotional!

And when it was done, in spite of the fact that I’d been worried about it, I drove home sleepy and, strangely…happy!

And I could tell my joy was back.

“Hey, joy! Where you been, buddy?”

And then I knew!

With everything I had to do that day and night…

 I’d been intensely focused…

for 24 hours…

on nothing but…

“Today!”

Triple C News - APRIL 21

Hey, everyone!

What a beautiful day! It’s 6:45 and my heart is full, my coffee mug is empty, my teeth are brushed and flossed…

(Sorry. That might have been a little too much info.)

and soon I’ll be headed down to Bud’s Coffee shop to meet and chat and maybe have another cup of the best coffee in town!

It’s such a friendly place! Owned and operated by Jim and Anne, who also share their talents and gifts, singing and playing in cathedrals and Broadway theaters in the Big Apple, it’s just the best place to sit across a table with friends or the regular morning “congregants” and share a joke, a thought or your heart’s deepest ponderings, depending on the moment. 

There’s something about actually being together and sharing your thoughts in the way that takes a look, a gesture, or a tone of voice to fully convey! Social media’s awesome and all, but I’m soooo thankful that just being present will always be the best present you can give!

Sometimes a text just can’t communicate what you truly meant to say and sometimes a text will communicate something you never meant to say!

It was that way even before your phone was something you carried in your pocket rather than screwed to the kitchen wall!

Before Ebay and FB Marketplace, there was a time when folks sold their old stuff in the daily newspaper in a section called, “the classified section”.

Once a guy was trying to sell an old sewing machine in a British newspaper in his town (or do they call it a “towne”?) in North England.

On Monday, his ad said:

“FOR SALE- R. D. Tumblesby has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 02-348-0707 after 7 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Kettlemore who lives with him cheap.”

The next day…

“NOTICE-We regret having erred in R. D. Tumblesby’s ad yesterday. It should have read: One sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 02-348-0707 and ask for Mrs Kettlemore who lives with him after 7:00 p.m.

Then on Wednesday…

“NOTICE-R. D. Tumblesby has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in his classified ad yesterday. His ad stands corrected as follows: FOR SALE- R. D. Tumblesby has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 02-348-0707 after 7:00 p.m. and ask for Mrs. Kettlemore who loves with him.”

Thursday…

“NOTICE-I, R. D. Tumblesby have NO sewing machine! I SMASHED IT! DO NOT CALL 02-348-0707, as the phone has been disconnected. I have NOT been carrying on with Mrs. Kettlemore. Until yesterday, she was my housekeeper but she quit!”

Well, I better go! 

As it says in the little letter of 3 John:

“I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink…” 

(Or text, I might add!) 

“…I hope to see you soon and we will talk face to face…” (3 John 13-14)

Let’s face it. Nothing beats “face to face”! 

As someone once said, “Just being present will always be the best present you can give!”

(I like that line! It belongs on a coffee mug somewhere!)

Triple C News - APRIL 14

Hey, everyone! 

Hope you’re having an awesome, joy-filled day! You know, the other day I was…

“Hey! What if I’m not!? What if I’m NOT having an awesome, joy-filled day? What if I’m having a yucky day? What am I supposed to do about it?”

Oh.

Well, there are some things you could do if you’re having a yucky day, depending on the reason for the yuckiness… 

If you’re having a yucky day because of the weather…(I think rain's on the way today...)

Well, there ain’t a whole lot you could do about the wet sloppiness except to remember...

…that whatever the weather, “God thunders wondrously with his voice…He does great things that we cannot comprehend…

…and “lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds do his bidding...” (Psalm 148)…

So, we pretty much have the weather God chooses for us! 

…and that no matter what the weather, in your heart, it can always be sunny spring!  Because “the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon... They will always stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92)

Or maybe you're having a yucky day because you just feel grumpy…

or grouchy!

Here’s an idea…

According to Ephesians chapter 3, in verses 16 through 19, all you have to do is ask God…

1)to fill you up on the inside…by… 

2)telling you deep in there that He loves you (and He loves you alot!!!)…

and…

3) by giving you the power to believe it!

Read it for yourself! It’s an amazing prayer!!!

“But that seems so simple.”

It is! It’s quick, simple, and free!

Try it! Ya got nothing to lose but your grumpiness!

On the other hand, if you’re having a yucky day because…

Let's say there is someone in your life who is driving you nuts. Maybe it’s because they have something going on that isn’t right and that God doesn’t want. You know it, but they don’t. 

Or maybe it’s because they have some annoying ways that just bother the heck out of you. (You know how all of us can be irritating at times!) 

To have a brighter day, maybe you need to talk to that someone about that something in their life that isn’t good. Especially if it’s something you know ain’t God’s will for them! We all need someone with the courage to confront us from time to time

Or maybe you just need to ignore and put up with their little irritating ways, knowing that we’re all annoying to others from time to time!

“So how do I know if I should talk to them or just put up with them? How do I know if it’s something to confront or something to forget?”

Why not try the “Esther 4.16 Principle”? 

She had to get the courage to face a scary king about a situation and decided that, before she made a move to confront, she’d pray about it for three days. 

Somebody breaking your heart? Or driving you nuts? You can’t tell whether it’s wrong or just annoying? Just pray about it for three days. Ask God to tell you whether you should speak up or shut up! 

“Yeah, but...let’s say, I’m driving down the road and someone cuts in front of me in traffic.. I'd have to decide whether or not I should tell him/her off and possibly point out through my gesticulations their short-comings.  If I wait for three days before deciding, my opportunity would be gone!”

Yes, it would.

Have a joy-filled day!

Triple C News - APRIL 7

Hey, everyone,

Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard it??

In Mark 14, verse 26, it says that Jesus and His follower friends “sang a hymn” together before they left the home where they had passed their last hours before His sufferings. 

We know what songs filled that hall and those hearts.

Like the carols we love at Christmas, at Passover, Psalm 113 through 118 were the songs of the Season for all! 

How I would have loved to have heard Him sing!

When John, who had followed the words of Jesus for so many years, one day heard His beautiful voice again, he wrote that it was “as the sound of many waters”!

When Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his amazing “St Matthew Passion” about the sufferings of Jesus taken from Matthew’s telling of it, there are plenty of sopranos and tenors but the one who sings His beautiful words has the voice of the deepest heart-breaking bass! 

In C S Lewis’ brilliant kids’ book The Magician’s Nephew, he tells the story of the beginning of Narnia. 

A Lion had begun to sing!

“…It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming.  Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once.  Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them.  Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself...It was beyond comparison, the most beautiful noise he had ever heard.  It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it…”

There is a place in the darkest of all days, when Jesus in darkness was taking our place…

when His voice was heard in unexpected strength, calling 

“My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?”

The title that the centuries have given to this moment is “the cry of dereliction”. 

And surely it was. 

In ways that are deeper and darker than the human mind or heart can reach, Almighty God the Son was bearing the estrangement from the Father of Love so that we might never know this banishment though we are the ones who deserve it.

And yet, I believe that even then…

Jesus was singing.

These words of His come from the first lines of Psalm 22. 

And all the Psalms were songs they sang. 

Many believe that Jesus was reciting to Himself Psalm 22 through to Psalm 31, which He would also quote.

You can’t really remember the lyrics to songs you know without singing them. 

You sing them to remember them.

“But how could He sing in a moment so sorrowful?”

Maybe it’s because there was something He wanted to remember.

Something He sang to remember.

In that ancient Psalm and song, written two thousand years before the day of His suffering…

as He sang of those gambling for His clothes after they had so cruelly “pierced My hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16-18)…

the song continues…

“From You comes My praise in the great congregation…

those who seek Him shall praise the Lord!…

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you!” (Psalm 22:25-27)

He sang from His cross to remember in His pain that because of that day another day would come when around the world men and women, boys and girls from “all nations and tribes, all races and languages” would sing together of our love for Him!

Jesus sang and died and rose 

to have your heart…

your love…

your song.

Good Friday service tonight at 7:00

Triple C News - March 31

Hey, everyone,

Monday night in our prayer time, we just spent the first minutes sitting in silence. 

And in sadness. 

For the broken-hearted of Nashville. 

It’s called “lament”. 

To sit in silence with our broken-hearted God…

with our heavy-hearted Heavenly Dad…

and share at least a tiny drop of His sorrow.

And His beautiful heart breaks for the broken-hearted everywhere.

In Ukraine and Turkey and Syria and Nashville and Haiti and Ethiopia and…and…

My heart turned to the verses of the wonderful Christmas story of Matthew 2.

To the place where the story wasn’t wonderful anymore.

To the place where mothers of Bethlehem cradled their babies that they had lost to hate and violence. 

It is the story of one mom who escaped with her husband and Child because she had a promise that they would one day return from Africa where they had run away to be safe. The only promise Matthew offered for grieving mothers left behind was of…

“‘a voice heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”

A prophecy of weeping mothers who refuse to be comforted, weeping while rocking lifeless babies who had been pierced through the heart.

But Mary would know their pain one day.

A day would come when she would rock her lifeless Child, pierced through the heart. 

His Beloved Disciple saw the moment it happened.

“…But when they came to Jesus and they found that he was already dead…One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water…These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:…’They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (John 19:33-37)

John’s heart turned the pages of his mind to Zechariah’s prophecy. 

“They will look upon Him Whom they have pierced…” (Zechariah 12:10)

When would they look upon Him and see Him pierced?

Five centuries before the day, Zechariah foretold that John and Mary would look upon Him pierced for us that darkest of all days. 

But the prophet’s heart was looking far beyond that day.

He was looking to the Day of Days when out of the sky…

Jesus our Lord, the One pierced for us will come to claim and heal and rule this hate-filled, broken world, bought by His piercing…

 ‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced…(Zechariah 12:10)

‘On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem…(13:1)

It will be the Day “when evening comes, there will be light!” (13.7)

And “the Lord will be king over the whole earth!” (14.9)

And from that Day on, because of Him Who was pierced for love…

there will be no more shootings, no broken hearts, no more tears, no more mourning, sadness, sorrow. From that Day and forever, NO MORE WEEPING.

“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

“The only remedy for the mass of misery around us is the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and why we don’t plead for it every time we hear the clock chime I will never know” 

-Anthony Ashley, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

“Blessed be God for news of a better world.”

-John Newton


Triple C News - March 24

Hey, everyone,

Monday night in our prayer time, we just spent the first minutes sitting in silence. 

And in sadness. 

For the broken-hearted of Nashville. 

It’s called “lament”. 

To sit in silence with our broken-hearted God…

with our heavy-hearted Heavenly Dad…

and share at least a tiny drop of His sorrow.

And His beautiful heart breaks for the broken-hearted everywhere.

In Ukraine and Turkey and Syria and Nashville and Haiti and Ethiopia and…and…

My heart turned to the verses of the wonderful Christmas story of Matthew 2.

To the place where the story wasn’t wonderful anymore.

To the place where mothers of Bethlehem cradled their babies that they had lost to hate and violence. 

It is the story of one mom who escaped with her husband and Child because she had a promise that they would one day return from Africa where they had run away to be safe. The only promise Matthew offered for grieving mothers left behind was of…

“‘a voice heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.’”

A prophecy of weeping mothers who refuse to be comforted, weeping while rocking lifeless babies who had been pierced through the heart.

But Mary would know their pain one day.

A day would come when she would rock her lifeless Child, pierced through the heart. 

His Beloved Disciple saw the moment it happened.

“…But when they came to Jesus and they found that he was already dead…One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water…These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:…’They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (John 19:33-37)

John’s heart turned the pages of his mind to Zechariah’s prophecy. 

“They will look upon Him Whom they have pierced…” (Zechariah 12:10)

When would they look upon Him and see Him pierced?

Five centuries before the day, Zechariah foretold that John and Mary would look upon Him pierced for us that darkest of all days. 

But the prophet’s heart was looking far beyond that day.

He was looking to the Day of Days when out of the sky…

Jesus our Lord, the One pierced for us will come to claim and heal and rule this hate-filled, broken world, bought by His piercing…

 ‘And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced…(Zechariah 12:10)

‘On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem…(13:1)

It will be the Day “when evening comes, there will be light!” (13.7)

And “the Lord will be king over the whole earth!” (14.9)

And from that Day on, because of Him Who was pierced for love…

there will be no more shootings, no broken hearts, no more tears, no more mourning, sadness, sorrow. From that Day and forever, NO MORE WEEPING.

“Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

“The only remedy for the mass of misery around us is the return of our Lord Jesus Christ and why we don’t plead for it every time we hear the clock chime I will never know” 

-Anthony Ashley, the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury

“Blessed be God for news of a better world.”

-John Newton


Triple C News - March 17

Hey, everyone!

 

Can you believe it's here?! The dogwoods are beeping out! 

The sunshine’s warming the earth! 

Saturday: Becoming mostly sunny and cooler…

 Sunday: Sunny and cool…

 Monday: Mostly sunny and milder!”

This can only mean one thing!

 

March Madness!

 

You know it! The NCAA basketball tourney when we go from the Sixty Four Best to the Sixteen Even Better Than That ("Sweet!"), to the Four Almost the Most Best ("Finally!"), to the Best of the Best!

 

You know how folks fill out the bracket (it's kind of a flow chart of the schedule of all the games) to predict, game by game, who will beat the other and move on to play other winners 'til we make it to the championship game? 

 

Bet it was looking pretty good yesterday morning!

 

But what Virginia fan knew Furman just needed 2.4 seconds from tre-land?!

I know we might feel confident that our guesses are pretty good but I read the other day that the chances of a person who knows something about the teams, making all the picks that wind up with a "perfect bracket" (when it's all said and done, you picked all the winners) is one in 772 billion! You have a better chance of lining up everyone in the world in a line, picking one person randomly out of that crowd, and have it be, by chance, one of the four living people who have walked on the moon! Or, you have a better chance of drawing a royal flush in 5-card poker twice in a row! (I'm not sure what that is but the chances are one in  422,162,067,600)

 

If anyone thinks they could really come up with a perfect bracket with all the winners, that really is "March madness"!

 

One thing that I was wondering about…

 

Ever wondered why they rank the teams in "seeds"? 

 

They don't place the teams in groupings, ranks, or preliminary heats, but "seeds" The least awesome teams ("16th seed"…"14th seed"…") play the best teams first ("Number 1 seed"…"number 3 seed")…Why do they call them "seeds"? Sound like they're doing spring planting…

 

That's it! That's why they call it "seeding"! Turns out the best teams play the worst teams in the different regions at the beginning so that the better teams meet each other later. If the teams were seeds planted in the bracket, it would hopefully bloom 'n blossom into more exciting games later in the month as the winners emerge! 

 

Like "seeds"! 

 

Get it?

 

It made me think…

 

One thing the New Testament says about our Lord Jesus is that He is the "Seed of Abraham"…Check this…

 

"The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say 'and to seeds,' meaning many people, but 'and to your seed,' meaning one person, who is Christ…" (Galatians 3:16)

 

Hmmmm…..

 

It's almost like Jesus was sent from Heaven to earth, God becoming a human baby, and growing and living, dying and rising, "planted" at just the perfect moment in history so that in the end, He wins the victory over all! 

 

I remember hearing 'bout someone who was reading the Book of Revelation and a friend asked, "Wow! That's so complicated with all the visions and prophesies!! Do you know what it all means?"

 

"Sure! Jesus wins!"

 

As Corrie Ten Boom always reminded us, "Jesus is Victor!"

 

I'm not sure how this tournament is going to come out, but no matter what you're facing today, if you puts His Name down as the winner every time, no matter what you're going thru, your chances at a perfect bracket are 100%

Triple C News - March 10

Ayup, everyone!

Yikes! I just said, “Ayup!” That is ridiculous! I’m losing it! 

For those who don’t know, “Ayup” is a British way to say, “Hey!” or “Hello!”

The reason I know is that we’ve been watching a couple of shows from BBC British TV! And since we’ve been watching, I’m learning loads of British expressions. You can say “Hello!” in lots of ways over there! Beside “ayup!”, you can say…

“How do?

“Hey up!”

Alrigh’?

We’ve been watching this BBC series on PBS about a vet from Scotland in the 1930’s and sometimes their accent when they speak our common language is so thick I don’t understand most of the stuff they say! 

Even a few of the stars of the thing! So I miss a lot!

But when I can understand them, I realize they have lots of expressions we don’t use but they do! 

Sometimes they talk about someone getting”sacked” (fired from a job) and someone “nicked” something (stole something that wasn’t theirs)…

If someone says something stupid, it’s “rubbish!” (That one says what it means to!)

 If you’re upset, impatient, and you need to calm down, in the UK someone might tell you to “keep your hair on”. This actually makes more sense than “keep your pants on”, as we used to say! If you’re agitated or frustrated, you might pull your hair out, so you need to keep it on. 

(But you wouldn’t take your pants off!)

The one they use a lot is my fav…If you’d like to talk with someone in private, you don’t say, “Could I talk with you about something?” This seems pretty serious and scary sometimes… But they say…

“Could I have a word?”

Muuuuuch less drama! 

“Could I have a word?” 

Not a lot of them! Just one! Less intimidating!

I’m going to start using that one!

In that show “All Creatures Great and Small” one of the expressions they started using when the Second World War looked like it was coming, is “I want to do my bit”. Everyone felt that it was important that each contribute to the overall effort for victory. No one could do much alone, but if everyone did their share…”their bit”…in the end, it would be enough! 

And each felt an obligation to “do their bit”.

I love that!

As followers of Jesus, we’re in a spiritual war for the encouragement of hearts,  the global and local evangelization of the souls of men and women and boys and girls, and for the spreading of the love of Jesus here at home and around the world! The consequences are eternal! Everyone of us has a spiritual empowerment (almost like a superpower!) to do some job in the army of Jesus around the world in the quest for love, justice, and bringing new brothers and sisters into the family of God. You can’t open someone’s heart to Jesus. You can’t end racism or hunger alone. But what if everyone who believed in Jesus and loved Him…

“…did their bit”?

What if…

above all else…

while we still have time…

we all felt a burning in our hearts…

”to do our bit”?

Hmmm….It must be what Jesus meant when He told us to pray...

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…”

If His will was done by each of us…

In other words…

if we all did our bit…

maybe it WOULD come!

Well, I better go. 

“Cheers then!”

Triple C News - March 3

Hello, everyone!

Wait. I didn’t say “Hello, everyone!” I meant to say “Hey, everyone!” like I always do.

Oh. It’s that autocorrect feature where your computer “knows” what you mean to say before you finish and finishes your words for you and you wind up saying what you didn’t want to! Let me try this again…

Help, everyone!

Nope! I did not mean to say that! And I don’t think I really need any help right this minute! Especially with spelling!

One more time…Hay, everyone! Well, at least that’s close!

I was reading about one girl who got this text from her dad:

“Hannah, just so you know, your mother and I are going to divorce next month”

Then he added: “DISNEY! We’re going to DISNEY!!!”

Here’s one a college girl received from her dad:

“I’m going to tell you something. R u sitting down?”

“Yes”, she answered.

“Ok. Ur brother was adopted!”

“What!? Why r u telling me that in a text?? CALL ME!!”

“Oh! Sorry! Accepted! Ur brother was ACCEPTED! To college!”

I think social media is awesome! (Well, I’m actually kind of a social media monk. I may have a Facebook page but I’m not sure and I’m basically twitter-less) and you can get the word out there soooo fast and sooo far, whether it’s an upcoming softball game or an uplifting thought you share!

But it fills my heart with joy whenever I see a couple of friends down at Bud’s or Panera, or even up at Triple C, just taking the time to be together, sit across the table, look over their mugs into each other’s mugs and just listen to each other! Your time, your presence, a chuckle and maybe even a tear. They may be “untextable” but they’ll always be irreplaceable! 

John wrote to his friends, “ I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink.  I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face!” (3 John 13-14)

Give your time to someone!

Make a call! 

Fix a date!

Grab a cup together! 

Life is better when you live it…

fact to fact!

(That’s not right!)

fast to fast!

(Rats! How do I get it to stop correcting me??)

Fans to fat

(Seriously??)

face to face!

(Finally!)

Triple C News - February 24

Hey, everyone!

Wow! What an amazing pre-spring we’re having early!! Daffodils! I’m thinking about mowing this weekend!! I wonder what’s bloomin’ for tomorrow, weather-wise! Let’s see…

Oh! I’m sorry, everyone.

Here’s yer forecast for what’s ahead…

“Rain chances will arrive later on Friday evening with rain showers likely all day Saturday with a high in the 50’s…”

Yuck! Well, anyway, I WAS gonna mow…

Hang on a sec. I need to apologize for something I just wrote!

I’m sorry for saying, “Oh! I’m sorry, everyone.”

I looked at the forecast and apologized for rain and chillier temps! As if I was responsible! I have a tendency to “over-apologize” but me apologizing for the weather is nuts! If anything falls out of the clouds on a given day, and if so, what, is not really my decision! Or my responsibility!

Altho’, apologizing, asking forgiveness, saying you’re sorry, knowing how to freely “confess your mess” is a super important skill to have! 

I have this theory.

I think there is an age limit of certain skills. For example, bowling, golf, milking cows. If you don’t learn how to do them by…say…23 years old, you probably never will. 

I think apologizing is like that. If you don’t learn how before you’re…maybe…43, you may never be able to! I known some older people who have never done it. And odds are, they never will. But if you know how to apologize, it opens the door to a world of other skills! 

(Milking cows is probably like that!)

I was reading about a guy whose job is apologizing!

He’s worked for fifteen years for one of the big airlines in customer relations. His job is to send letters of apology whenever there is a disruption on a flight. If there’s loads of turbulence…or engine problems and smoke’s billowing out behind…or a toilet gets clogged…or the seats are cramped…or if on the international flights, the food’s a little too yucky or just a little too little, he’s the one who tells you how sorry he is! 

He talked about “an unruly passenger… a nervous flyer who tried to self-medicate. And alcohol and prescription medication, together with the change in cabin pressure don't mix. And so this lady starts taking her clothes off and getting pretty loud. So then I have to apologize to 137 people!”

His daughter calls him, “the sorry man”. 

But with his job of saying, “I’m sorry”, he developed other skills. 

Like sensitivity to others’ feelings. 

And how to use words well. 

And saying something difficult in a timely way.

His wife said that Fred knows how to do a difficult eulogy at a funeral to bring just the right laughter and just the right tears at just the right moment….all because he knows how to apologize!

In walking with Jesus, saying “I’m sorry!”…or “confessing” as they call it in the Scriptures… is one of the basic skills! It’s good to learn how to do it early! “Cause you’ll need it often!  

AND…with this skill come others!

“I’m sorry!” is the toughest thing to say but if you get good at saying it, it’s way easier to say, “I love you!”…and…”I thank God for you!’’’ and…”Will you help me?” and…”Can I pray for you?”

If you need to, tell God or someone else you’re sorry today. They…and/or HE…and especially YOU will be glad you did!

That’s it for weather! (I’m sorry about the weather! Wait! No I’m not!)


Triple C News - February 17

Hey, everyone!

Hope you're having a day as sunny of heart as it is sunny outside today!!

I'm kind of having one except...

I'm about to finish listening to this audiobook as I drive around that has been so awesome that I'm not sure what to do when it's over! I'll miss all those guys! (It better end good or I'll have a worse day than I'm planning on having!)

I remember a few years ago I was helping at ORHS with the Spanish speaking kids and we were reading a book together called, “Esperanza Rising”, about a Mexican girl and her family who had to come to America in the 1930’s. I went on Amazon to order a copy for myself and I glanced at the reviews of the book various readers had contributed. There was one young person who really liked it! 


He or she thinks your week-end would be better if you read it tomorrow!

Here’s their review…

This is THE BEST book ever. I want another one! Just picture it "Esperanza Rising 2"!!! 

Just when you thought you had a favorite book this one hits you in the face with a fish. And you're like woah! I love this book!!” 
No matter what anyone says, you should love this book! 
I'll be in a club with you because you and me love this book so much. 
READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!! 
Buy it. Read it. Love it. Guaranteed. 
-(this was written by me a 12 year old) 
P.S Get the book now (last time) 


Wow! That kid really liked it!!

“…in the face with a fish”!! 

Wow! And…

“No matter what anyone says you should love this book!”

Who cares about what ANYONE says?! Let them have their lame opinions! You SHOULD LOVE IT!!

I love the line where it says, “I’ll be in a club with you because you and me love this book so much…”

Like…“ We have a secret club of the heart! You and I know what others don’t know! Or what they somehow don’t care to know! But we know that this is the best ever!”

I know a club like that! 

I think it’s what the Bible means when it talks about the “Body of Christ” or “the Church” (I don’t mean, “Triple C, the church”, tho’ I love that one!)  The “Church” in the New Testament is just everyone, everywhere who loves Jesus like you do…

Don’t you know those folks who you feel you could say, “I'll be in a club with you because you and me love Jesus so much!”?

Lately, I have met a guy from Mexico who has a joy only Jesus could give…

and a teacher at the high school who cares for kids from far-away countries because the One Who came from a Far-away country lives in her…

and an inmate in the Morgan County prison who prays and encourages me always…

And it’s like we’re in a secret club! 
(Well, it’s not a secret, but it’s just that not everyone cares to be in it. But we do!)

As you love Jesus, you’ll meet hearts in unexpected places who feel about Him the way you do! And you’ll know when you meet them that you’re family! You’ll know that they and you are in a club of those who love Jesus!

And spiritually, you’ll stand side by side and say to the world before you…

JESUS is THE BEST ever. 
No matter what anyone says, you should love Him! 
I'll be in a club with you because you and me love Him so much. 
LOVE HIM RIGHT NOW!!! 
Believe in Him. Love Him. Guaranteed. 
-(this was written by me a 68 year old) 
P.S Believe in Him now (last time) 

Triple C News - February 10

Hey, everyone,

With the sun shining so brightly and even daffodils peeking through, it seems that the joys of “almost-spring” would be blooming as well. Yet, with so much heartbreak and hurt and grief that we have seen and felt and prayed for this week…

In our cheerful corner of the world, where all is hopeful and bright, we can’t “unsee” or “unknow” sights we’ve seen and know in Turkey and Syria…that in frigid temps, desperate hearts are desperately searching for some news of those they love and hope they haven’t yet lost. 

And it’s been almost one year of bombings and battles in Ukraine, where the homeless and sheltering are waking up to below 20 degrees today. 

How can we enjoy our joy, knowing that hearts are broken everywhere?

Jesus really, really wept with the sorrowing and yet was also filled with joy! In the same heart in the same days! (John 11.35; 15.11; 17.13) 

How did He do this? How does He do this today? 

He knows every joy and every sadness, every kindness and also every cruelty, every chuckle and also every tear around the world every day. How does the sadness not smother the gladness?

So I found a verse that helped me.

In John 11, Jesus wept. Because His friend, who was the brother of two sisters who were also His friends, was dead. And two women were added to the global community of the brokenhearted. At the opening verse of the story we’re told that their names were Martha and Mary. In the second verse we are told this: 

“This Mary…was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.” (John 11.2)

If you had been reading the Gospel of St John, you wouldn’t have yet read about this incident. 

When did she do this? 

She did it in the next chapter. In John chapter 12.

After weeping with two grieving sisters, Jesus would bring their brother back to life and back into our world and Mary, overflowing with joy, would pour out her love for Jesus in this generous gift. 

As John 11 opened, Jesus already knew where this coming sorrow would lead and what future gladness would come from present sadness. 

Maybe that’s how He can be filled with sorrow with the sorrowing and with joy with the rejoicing at the same time. 

Not only is He everywhere; He is also “everywhen”. 

He lives in the present and in the future all at the same “time”. He is outside of time and reigns over and throughout time.

And He already knows what good will come from all things He is working together (Romans 8:28)

And He already knows when He will give “beauty from the ashes” (Isaiah 61:3)…

And when sorrow for a moment becomes “joy lasting a lifetime”…

And when a night-time of weeping will become “rejoicing in the morning”. (Psalm 30:5)

Because He is everywhere.

And He is “everywhen”.