Murray in the Middle – the Oreo Cookie

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Today’s Blog Post


Murray in the Middle – the Oreo Cookie

The two young men stood beside me with their arms around my shoulders and back. They both gave me a Big Hug with one summing it up… “Hey, we are an Oreo!”

In 1987 these guys were about 12 years old. Both were full of vim and vinegar… bouncing young fellas that kept moving all the time. They were part of the Youth Group that I was ministering to as the World’s Oldest Youth Pastor – at that time 43 years old! Oh boy was I ever OLD!

On the left is Clem Dwyer and on the right is Godfrey Adderly.

These two handsome guys were the MCs at our friend’s Wedding Celebration in Scarborough on Saturday night.

Godfrey is one of the Pastors now at the same church. Once known as Scarboro Gospel Temple, SGT, it is now called Global Kingdom Ministries – GKM.

Clem is apart of the church and also working with the TMC – the Toronto Mass Choir. He is a genius with electronics and sound equipment from what I have heard.

What amazing guys they are.

But there is more to the story – the story behind the story that most see today.

Both boys were from Single Parent homes – both had a mom that was faithful to get them to church. They struggled but they made it through. The church was a huge part of their lives. Old Youth Pastors were good – because they kind of acted like a Big Brother… or a kind of “Dad” – or maybe even a “Grandpa”.

I served in the church for four years at that time before a cut back happened and the Youth Pastor’s position was down sized to Lay Volunteers.

We had worked hard to make sure that Lay Leadership was in place to take on the necessary tasks that needed to be done.

In fact our goal was to have a 1 Leader to 8 Kids/Teens relationship – so that no one would be left behind.

It was in 1987 that I first met “Mo” as everyone knew him. His name is Maurice Fairweather. His greatest calling and best ability was to love people just the way that they were – never judging them. “Mo” was always there for his boys. He was faithful to the point of almost doing too much. Some of us were concerned when he always had a load of guys in his car going some where.

“Mo” never had a girl friend when I worked with him. He liked all the gals and treated everyone as his friend. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a special Girl Friend… it was just that he had to have time to work with all his “boys” – and my guess was that a Relationship that required energy, time and commitment to develop would cut into the needs that his boys had. There was only so much of “Mo” to go around – and the boys got all of him!

This past year it was announced that “Mo” had not only found a special Gal Friend – but he also married her. WOW! Her name is Robyn. And all that I knew at that point was – “Robyn has to be something special to be in Maurice’s life.” Double WOW!

When I did the “Oreo” thing with Clem and Godfrey we were at the Wedding Celebration held for Maurice and Robyn at Global Kingdom Ministries church on Saturday evening.

All “Mo’s” boys were there to honour him. What an army of Handsome Men! They are not boys anymore!!!!

Remember when I stated that Robyn must be something special to marry “Mo”?

Robyn is the Youth Pastor at GKM – doing the same job that I used to do 23 years ago. She is a little younger than “Mo” and also has been completely committed to her kids. Relationships and the effort that it takes to develop – was not her top priority in life until recently – her kids always were. She loved the youth and special ones that God have given her.

(NOTE: That is my uneducated guess only. I only know “Mo”… and Robyn I am guessing about!)

Saturday evening was one of those special blessings that everyone needs once in a life time. Often we never see it until we are dead… but then may never see it – because – we are dead. Sometimes we wait too long – lose contacts and simply forget.

On Saturday night, two young men put their strong arms around me, gave me a hug… and I wanted to cry. They reminded me that special things happen when you love someone. In fact as I type this I weep for joy this morning. I am so Blessed!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
Real Life and Community

Away from “No Where”… and “Always the Same”

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Today’s Blog Post


Away from “No Where”… and “Always the Same”

Today I will meet with about 200 people – Old Friends and New Friends.

First the New Friends at a Mother’s Weekend Breakfast put on by the Men of St. Johns Presbyterian Church in Port Perry. What a delight to Network with New Friends.

Second the Canadian Wedding Reception for a couple married in St. Lucia. Maurice and Robyn Fairweather are being blessed by all their Old Friends today. Maurice served as a volunteer Youth Leader when I was a Youth Pastor in 1987 – 91 in Scarborough. Robyn is the Youth Pastor of that same group today. Maurice hung around(was faithful) to the volunteer Youth Leader’s position – all these years! Wow!

Today is a Good Day to Connect…. To Network as the new term is now.

I love getting out of the old rut of “No Where”… and “Always the Same”. These two ruts keep a person unchanged.

When the day comes that I am bound to a wheel chair and slowed down because of the physical ailments… I will still keep rolling out of the room… to network with some one… some where.

When the day Heaven is my new home… I fully expect to use my New Wings to fly to everyone’s place to visit for Eternity. To me that is Heaven. I won’t have time to watch the HD TV that may be available.

Have you thought of getting away from your norm to the new?

Gotta run… I have New People to meet and New Places to go…

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
Real Life and Community

The Social Network Group – Connections 2010

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Today’s Blog Post


The Social Network Group – Connections 2010

The average age of the people that I met with yesterday afternoon in the “New Friends” group was 90. My mom was the youngest. Yet they were the sharpest folk that I have met in a long time.

Another group that I meet with each morning early loosely call themselves the “Wisdom Club” because no matter what topic some one brings up, some one else will have a suggestion, good idea or comical statement about it. The table folk I meet with is filled with laughter.

In both cases laughter is the mix that holds the group together.

It felt good in both situations to have taken part in the mix of people, even though they were so different in age and backgrounds.

New Friends… Thursday afternoon
These folk vary in life experience in a huge way. From a Doctor’s wife to a career woman; from a housewife to a Radar Technician – what a wide variety of experience they all have had. And all of it was packed into 90+ years of living.

The 90+ year old group remembered many issues and events of the past years. They cared deeply about their families and problems of society. One was deeply troubled about the huge number of volcanoes that she has heard about lately. Another brought up the Love Canal of the 1970s in Niagara falls New York. All remembered these issues vividly.

The striking part about the older group of “New Friends”, as they call themselves, they are happy. They laugh a lot and interact with each other.

Wisdom Club… each morning at the Wellness Centre
This group simply laughs a lot – period. Most of what they talk about is comical.

They have all completed about one hour in the Gymnasium and then meet for coffee with each other. It is open to anyone.

This group was about six around one round table last fall. Now each day they are eight to ten around two tables. But that number grows as well as others that they each know stop by the table to make their comments as they either leave the gym or enter. With the tables being situated in the coffee shop of the gym’s entrance – it is perfect.

A unique thing about this group is the difference in background and experience… in fact I should say they vary greatly!! From Plumber, to business owner, to draftsmen, to ministers, to mechanic, to bankers, to garage owner, contractor and homebuilder, to electrician, to school teacher and secretary – they have it all covered. Most are retired.

What could these folk with such a wide variety of interests and experience have in common?

The answer is simple – laughter and joy. And they offer it to whoever joins the group.

One or two dark cloud people drop by to lay a heavy on the group, but they never stay long. One man in particular is perhaps the most negative man I have met in a long time. He sat at the table one time and then never came back. No matter what he said, people laughed. And all that he said was negative in some way about some one or something. But the group was not glum – they laughed. They were too happy for him.

Now some church people will be trying to guess what church these people attend… especially if I am involved.

Most don’t attend church anywhere…other than a funeral or a wedding. A few of us in the group do... but we are in the minority.

Come to think of it… I have not heard church people laugh like this. They generally are so busy listening so that they don’t have time to laugh.

Whoa… can you imagine a Sunday Service where people sat around tables and talked to each other, then laughed together before they prayed? Nope it wouldn’t work with most church people I have met…

Sorry that thought sidelined me.

I am preparing to set out again this AM for another meeting of the Wisdom Club… following a good workout. I am looking forward to it. What will happen today? What will be talked about?

In fact I need this kind of interaction just like they do. It is part of the basic need that this present generation of older people desperately need.

I call it “Connections”… which could be a great name for a group somewhere.

In the world that most of these folk come from… they have enjoyed Connections in so many different ways. Then with retirement, death of a loved, separation from family or some other deep personal change the Connections stopped.

These are the true Social Networking groups that were possible for years but are now only being discovered.

The “39 The Second Time” group that I click with once a month – are a classic example of a Social Network Group.

My Facebook Group is another Social Network Group as well as three other eGroups that I belong to – where I connect online to younger and older friends. I think my Social Network Group connections online are now some where over 1000 people that I some how interact with on almost a daily basis.

I am ‘connected’… the same way that many people my age are. It is not just for the Youth of Today. I may need this more than they do. And now having the technology simply makes my world bigger and easier to meet with others – daily.

Side lined again… I think of the church and the way that some are shrinking. When I have looked carefully at what they are doing(the shrinking ones) – they have little Social Network Groupings at all….other than the ladies that come together to do the Funeral Lunches… and that is not too exciting to say the least.

If they changed their delivery mode of the message… to be more like Jesus… or the way that Jesus did it… it might help. But for the most part our churches (and me as a Pastor) have studied hard to do what we do to make sure it isn’t anything like Jesus did.

Now that is pure heresy for a Minister to type that way.

But it is true.

If we did what Jesus did – we would never build a building for a church. He didn’t – look closely at the text. He never had Budget Worries either, Annual Business Meetings – or Board Meetings.

Jesus walked a lot… and talked as he walked – then sat down, never in a hurry to the get the service started. He looked at the Lilies and the sparrows… and his friends in the eye… and loved on them all.

Christians that attend churches today, drive to the building, sit alone on a pew, listen to one man or woman talk, then shake one or two hands, to then leave alone – going home alone… and be alone again until next Sunday. Mind you they do listen to Christian Music where ever they are…!

Most Christians that I know – only see Lilies at Funerals.

That is so not like Jesus.

Heresy!

Sidelined again… If Jesus did actually live today he would be on so many Social Network Groups with all that he met… it would blow most peoples mind.

I can see him at our “New Friends” group, and the “Wisdom Club’s” table talk. I can see him laughing right along with us. I can hardly see him singing along to sad songs about him… or oft repeated prayers to him… asking for more and more.

I am off to strike up a new conversation in the Social Network of today. Now if you don’t have some one or some place to go… we would love to have you join us.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Bad Thoughts - Let em go! – Let em go!

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Today's Blog Post

Bad Thoughts - Let em go! – Let em go!

“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future.”

These words continue to stand up and shout at me – in fact all day yesterday it happened again and again.

Then I added more thoughts by reading further…
“Given the timeless truth that holds that you become what you think about all day long, it makes no sense to worry about past events or mistakes unless you want to experience them for a second time.”

Nope, I don’t want to experience them again. They were not good at the time and they certainly are not good the second or third or the Gazllionth Time either.

In our home we have some leftovers after some meals. With three people eating there always seems to be enough for four… leaving at least a little for me to savour the next day or so.

But if there is too much leftover the thrill of eating the same thing over and over and over again loses it appeal.

What has even less appeal is the fact that you might decide to eat it say three months from now… or one year from now. Yuk!

Thankfully Food cannot be kept that long. It goes bad a long time before that.

Have you noticed that Memories last longer than food? Good ones seem to not be as easy as bad ones when bringing them back. The good ones haven’t disappeared they just get used less than the bad ones.

Bad memories tend to get play time on “My Mind’s Radio Station” – “Station MMRS” more often. The same old same old gets the same old play time.

It is time to change the station and move on.

For the fun of it in my garage last week I put a CD in my CD Player and punched the Play Button. Amazing… all my old music of long ago was on that CD. I loved it.

I came to a particular song that has an amazing rhythm to it. So I picked up the remote and punched “Repeat”. Insane as it was I was alone and loved that track over and over and over again. In fact I loved it for THREE hours… the same song, rhythm, beat, noise, interruptions, over and over again.

Too much of a Good Thing is not so good after THREE hours. In fact I have not played it again. A little too much of it… even for me.

Now if it is something that I don’t like I try to turn it off before even the first few bars are played.

Why is it then that I replay stupidity for myself to hear again and again… the same old faults, the same old mistakes, the same old foolishness from the past?

Yep – I do it all too often. I dredge up the stupid stuff to savour in those glum modes that I can sink into. In fact I wasn’t even having a glum mode until that stupid thought came back again… then it moved in like a bad weather front.

I kind of snapped out of it when my wife asked me a question… I snapped back some stupid answer… that came from a stupid brain that was entertaining stupid thoughts from the past.

I said I was sorry… but the stupid thought still was resting in my brain like a loud crow in our tree.

I have found that if a Crow sits there long enough he or she will make a mess on my car.

That is kind of what happens with those old and very stupid thoughts from long ago.

Let em go! – Let em go!

Back to my refrigerator thought… and the bad food in there. Throw out the bad stuff. It stinks and may corrupt all the good stuff stored there.

If I buy more good stuff and put it in the refrigerator… something old will have to go… because the new stuff is that much fresher and better. So… I throw out the bad stuff.

In my mind it is the same. I need to place more good stuff in my mind to shove out that OLD CRAP.

Each morning I have sat and simply thought about the fun stuff that my grand kids have done with me. I have a whole bunch of photos that I have snapped of them with me and grandma. Some go back at least 9 years when I got my first digital camera.

Looking over the photos of the kids just kind of changes the day.

I can go back to the Old Albums… but some contain old stuff… so I move ahead.

Sitting and thinking of the good stuff that has happened this week alone – wipes out the old stuff that tries to creep back.

Today is going to be a good day… I just know it. I have thought about some amazing things that have happened over this past week. And the shelves of my Thought Storage are now filled with Good Stuff. I had to throw out some Old Stuff… not only does it look better it even smells better in there!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

POST SCRIPT... look at the M&Ms up top again more closely... the bad Thoughts are Mixed with the Good Ones

Letting go of the Bad Past

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Today’s Blog Post


Letting go of the Bad Past
As I read the words I stopped to think… I could read no further…
“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future.”

There have been many times that I “self paralyse” by remaining with that silly thought of how that man hurt me. He was an idiot and did idiot things to me. It hurt deeply when he did it – but it is all gone now. It was years ago that it happened… but every once in a while something will trigger those stupid thoughts… and bingo I re-inject my old pain… and paralyse myself.

The actual things he did to me caused me to make decisions that turned the course of my life. I went a totally different direction. In fact the direction was so radically different that if I had not made it I would never have arrived at this point today, my daughters would have never met the guys that they did – and there would be a whole different possibility for my family – maybe no grandkids…

That is dangerous thinking… because it is then required in every past decision… using “what if”. And “what if” gets me no where except back here… which will not change.

Now should I chose to dwell on that old mess and stay there… I can never move ahead to what is about to happen.

Unfortunately I have stolen much from my future by dwelling on what that idiot did that fateful day. The guy just was so ignorant and did so much damage… grrrr! Oops there it comes again…. Going back and over and over it again and again.

Now I stop and think… the man died. He was placed in a coffin and is very much not coming back again. He can never hurt anyone again.

As I have thought this through I can now bury my old thoughts right along with him. In fact mentally I have gone back and opened his grave and dumped his “old stuff” in with him. Sorry about that image being not so great.

The paragraph I was reading went on to say…
“Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding your solutions.”

This is too true.

The problems make my head hurt at times. It happens when they do this circle thing in my brain.

One time I attended a Country Fair and stood watching the Motorcycle Daredevils race their bikes around inside a steel cage. The cage was a huge ball that was made of steel mesh… making it possible for the bikes to go around and around – faster and faster until they could go upside down in rapid, dizzy loops.

My thoughts about my problems are just like the motorcycles… roaring around and making lots of noise but going no where. Each one was noisy and dangerous.

This is a new day. I have new opportunities and that will present themselves today only. I need to deal with them now then move ahead into a great possibility.

This is going to be a wonderful day. This will be the Best May 5th – EVER!

I hope you have one too.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl

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Today’s Blog Post

Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl
Eyjafjallajokull, Eyjafjallajokull, Eyjafjallajokull, Eyjafjallajokull…

I went to bed last evening trying to say this name. Too funny.

That is “EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl”. It is the name of the volcano in Iceland that has blown its top, spewed the Ash clouds throughout the upper atmosphere and shut down air lines everywhere.

I am convinced that the name simply describes what is happening within the mountain. It is the human being’s way to describe what is happening when something blows.

Now taking that a few more steps in my thinking I will be substituting “EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl” for more commonly known “$&!##” when I hit my thumb with the hammer. Or “EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl” works well when someone cuts me off in traffic. Or when a church member acts out in some weird way… and I need to tell them politely that I don’t give a “EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl” what you think.

I searched the Web for way to pronounce Eyjafjallajokull. It is hilarious. The New Announcers just about died the day that Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl erupted.

Now Pentecostal should have no problems with this. They speak in tongues. And for years their ministers have been looking for a phrase or set of words that will release the dear saints to become tongue talking, Holy Ghost Fired, Saints of God.

In a visit to another minister’s church one day they had a long list of names inscribed on brass plaque just inside the door. The names were all Ukrainian. He joked with me, “in order to get your people speaking in tongues have them come to our church and simply read off the names on this list quickly. This is our Pentecostal Wall.”

The Minister was the Pastor of a Ukrainian Catholic Church.

But because people can’t get to that church, we can use the Volcano.

Now Pentecostal Saints will roll over and want my head for making light of their Speaking in Tongues. Well… I am not making fun of it – simply describing what I have witnessed in my 35 years of church work.

One Evangelist that specialized in getting people to talk tongues approached people in a rapid fashion. Stopping in front of them he would launch his “ministry” to them, “Now say after me, La La La Lee Lee Lee.”

The candidates would then La La and Lee Lee… stare at the loud Evangelist in front of them.. blink and look really stupid. Then if that didn’t work he would use another series of syllables to kick their tongue loose. If that didn’t work he would slap their foreheads with his big palm and yell loudly, “Receive the Holy Spirit of God – NOW! Yadda Yaada yee hallalalalauejah Hee Hee!” (or something like that).

One church board member approached me after the Evangelist let go with the slap and asked, “Do you think we should stop him?”

In 1968 that was the general fare of certain Ministers that could get results. Ordinary Pastors and Ministers tended to back away from the theatrics that others used.

I smile when I think back at what has gone on in our churches over the years… and shudder as well.

Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl couldn’t help much back then eiher.

At a certain stage people were expected to “fall under the power of God”. When the Evangelist did his stuff, they would hit the floor getting all blessed. If they didn’t they would give them a little shove backwards.

Being kind of smart @$$ I would place one foot behind the other so that he couldn’t lay me out on the floor. I grinned when he said, “Be filled… Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl” He didn’t seem to like that. Sheesh.

Now as I minister to the Presbyterians this next weekend – I don’t think that it would work. Some how they might not like too much of that kind of stuff… that side show that some have created.

I have a hard time hearing some of the Scottish accents of the dear folk… :-)

We certainly are a strange bunch of people… we Pentecostals.

When the retiring Pastor of the St Johns Presbyterian church talked with me on the phone about speaking here… he softly dropped a hint that perhaps too much Pentecostalism would not be accepted. Poor fellow. He must have met some of the Evangelists that I know as well.

Oh yes… I do speak in tongues… and have fallen down once in a while – but that is another story.

I am more concerned that what I say in English as my mother tongue is the same thing that I do and visa cersa…

Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl won’t help me if I live like Hell and try to preach like Heaven.

So with that note… have a Eyjafjallajokull… EYE-a-fyat-la-jo-kutl great day.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jq-sMZtSww
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eyjafjallaj%C3%B6kull.ogg
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/more_from_eyjafjallajokull.html

I Could Become a Presbyterian

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Today’s Blog Post

I Could Become a Presbyterian
I know the title of this Blog today might be hard for some of the Pentecostals that I normally connect with. What – leave the Pentecostal Church!?

No No… I am not “leaving” any where… just “becoming”.

The St Johns Presbyterian Church in Port Perry is the kind of church that is attractive. All that takes place in the church and in the service is impressive. A good way to state it is that the church service encompasses you… you are surrounded, drawn in, and brought to worship by the service.

For those that are reading about this new relationship that has developed for the first time, I am a Pentecostal Minister that has been filling in for this church while their minister is preparing for his retirement. I have tried to do my best to follow the order of service, but have missed a few things when I get excited. And I do get excited in this church… inspired, blessed, overjoyed, and well… Pentecostal.

I wrote about my first encounter with this church last week.. on April 26.

From the Entrance of the Bible when everyone stands in honour of the Bible being brought into the service and placed on the Podium… to the removal of the Bible where it is laid with respect until next week – you feel like you have been blessed.

The announcements and messages from the Church are given before the Bible is brought in. These are not considered to be part of the church service.

Oh so different from the Pentecostals – who pepper their service with lots of announcements and advertisements – right in the middle of the worship.

Presbyterians get the ad stuff over early so they can worship God all the way through to the Sermon – pure and sweet worship.

In St Johns Presbyterian they are so blessed with a wonderful worship leader that leads from the Keyboard of the grand piano that she plays with such ease. Her name is Oksana and she is amazing – a real treasure for the church.

Oksana plays everything – I am sure. 90% of what we have sung in two weeks has been closely related to everything we sing in the Pentecostal Church. When we lifted our voices in unison yesterday to sing “Shine Jesus Shine” my heart leapt with joy.

When the choir sang their special with the excellence it did… I kind of blew it. I was caught up in the moment and said a loud and hearty “AMEN”… to which another man agreed and shouted “AMEN” also.

I might have been out of order at that Wee Moment. But many were smiling and about 99% of the church was tapping their toes. It was a “Wee Pentecostal Moment”.

I may have blown it however…
In response to some conversations as a result of the last week’s involvement I did something that was completely out of order of the norm. Yikes. The insecurity within me was great following the service and still is as I write this on Monday morning!

A whole bunch of Presbyterians pressed forward to the altar area at the end of the service. I mean they were pressed in between the Pulpit and the front pew and were jabbering, laughing, giggling and having a wonderful time.

I am quite sure that none of them ever expected to be at the front of the church at the end of a service after a Pentecostal Minister had preached in a Presbyterian Church! Quite sure!

And before I tell you the rest… I am quite sure that some of the elders may hear about what happened after the church service was over! Quite sure! There were other Presbyterians that left earlier… but they were likely heading to the restaurants to get their seats….

There is the reason that I had that insecure feeling come over me yesterday after we came home. And I am quiet sure I know why… Oh boy.

Pause…
Now as you read this far as a Pentecostal, some will know that when people come to the front of the church at the end of service it is the deeply spiritual part where the folk coming are confessing and being blessed. Pentecostal generally know this as their treasured “Altar Service” that has remained in its exuberant form since the start of Pentecostalism in Canada over 100 years ago.

For over 100 years Pentecostals have got “religion” at that Altar. Oh boy have they ever. After the singing is done, the announcements are over, and the preacher has preached… they get their own dose of religion and begin speaking in tongues… Oh Boy do they ever…some places – maybe…

Pentecostals get all excited when they get to the Altar… they will be jabbering, laughing, giggling and having a wonderful time.
Un pause…

Yesterday the Presbyterians were doing it too.

Now I have led you so far off the track at this point in this posting that I almost feel guilty… almost. But I am just telling you what happened and I love telling stories about wonderful people!

What really happened…
Before the service started I had placed almost a pew full of my Teddy Bears with the Hand Carved faces on them – as well as two of my carvings. I intended to use them as “props” during my sermon… and also to explain what I do to support myself.

Before the service few people in the congregation could see the Bears… in fact it is likely that NO ONE SAW the Bears and would figure out what was about to happen.

The poor Choir looking down at the front pew was a little distracted to say the least. Some were smiling and then one leaned over to talk to the other. Undoubtedly the silly Bears grinning at them were a bit unnerving for Presbyterians.

In a Pentecostal Church it would not cause much of a stir because we’re a little “different” anyway.

Before I began to preach the sermon I walked down from the Pulpit and to the area in front and shared with them about my Bears and the Wood Carvings… and how they fit into my life.

Well… Teddy Bears in Church at the best of times is one thing…but an adult man holding a Bear and being the Minister that was about to preach… was a little much.

As I was rolling along I looked up at smiling faces and heard the giggles… felt the response and received it warmly… BUT THEN I saw the arms crossed and the very straight face. “Good God in Heaven…” I just knew that I had blown it completely with that dear saint. Oh Boy!

People were laughing and responding… and interacting and having fun in church. They were with me… at least 95% were… I think… maybe… I am quiet sure… at least I think I am… Oh Boy the insecurity of Post Sunday Blues.

But yesterday had a whole lot of “new people” that weren’t there the week before. I think their friends had called them to come out to see “this guy” that was leading the service last week… They were laughing to… but not one guy… yikes.

Hey.. the sermon was a little too long… but no one moved and they were smiling… and very responsive.

When I closed the sermon, led the offering time, prayed for it and then waited to listen to the Lord’s Prayer that didn’t begin immediately when projected on the wall (like last week)…

It was then that I realized that I had kind of knocked the order of service over a bit… and the Pentecostalism in these Presbyterians was bubbling out. They had too much fun and were also knocked a bit off kilter.

For the Presbyterians that are reading this now… I deeply apologize for letting go of my reserved-ness… I was a little too blessed with your worship and the words read from the Bible… Please forgive me. I am sorry.

Now the pressing in around the front Pew… and near the Altar… It was the Bears and the Carving. There were crafted people in that church. Bear People and Carvers. And they all came forward at once.

The Photo is of a Wee Presbyterian sitting among the Bears…

It was so much fun seeing them have fun. It was a blessing for me to be there.

Church should not only have its beauty of worship – but also a dab of God’s blessing rooted in hearty laughter. And Scots love to laugh… and St Johns Presbyterian is a Scottish Presbyterian Church.

God created my laughter and the giggle machine in me… and yesterday it happened again… and we laughed together.

As Alida and I talked it over last night on our walk together I realized something important that had happened.

One of two things may have happened at St Johns… as a result…
1. They are going to really love a Real Presbyterian Minister that is finally chosen for their assembly…
2. They are going to be way too much fun for a well rooted and elegant Minister that loves deep order and wonderful liturgy.

I really think I would love to become Presbyterian.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/