One Person at a Time...

Like Father, Like Son?

As I was reading the Bible this morning, I read through the transition in Judah's monarchy from King Hezekiah to Manasseh, his twelve year-old son.  Hezekiah had been a good king.  In fact, when it came time for Hezekiah to die, he prayed for God to extend his life, and God did-for fifteen additional years! (Talk about an effective prayer!)  As is true of all of us, Hezekiah wasn't perfect, but he devoted his life to following God and leading the people of Israel in that direction.  Then upon Hezekiah's death, Manasseh became king.  He was twelve--and he was evil.  There's no other way to say it.  He set up idols in the Temple of God in Jersualem.  He sacrificed his own children to pagan gods, and he led the nation of Israel astray.  How could that happen?  How could the father be a man like King David and the son like the devil?  We aren't told in God's word, but I can't help wondering what kind of modeling and mentoring Hezekiah offered to Manasseh.  Was Hezekiah so engaged in being a good king that he wasn't a good dad?  It's certainly possible, one would almost think probable, given that there was absolutely no "like father, like son" legacy. 

The account reminds me how important it is not to get so caught up in work--even God's work--that there's no time for our children (if God's entrusted them to us.)  Jesus once said, "What does it you if you gain the whole world, and lose your soul?"  And I would ask, "What does it profit us, if we gain the whole world and lose our children?"  Our faith is always one genration away from extinction, and investing in the next generation is one of the best investments any of us can ever make!

Life Cycle of a Christian

I just finished WRITING Life Cycle of a Christian: A User's Guide to Life after Rebirth!  I'm enthusiastic about the process as the book comes out of many years of prayer, study and conversation with others about why some Christians grow and others don't.  The books ten chapters are:

1. Born Again
2. Babes in Christ
3. Childhood
4. Discipleship
5. Life in the Spirit
6. The Vital Role of Encouragement and Accountability
7. A Step Further: Mentoring
8. Why Some Christians Never Grow
9. Going "Home"
10. Leaving a Legacy

It's written with questions for discussion and growth at the end of each chapter, and while it will be beneficial for personal reading, study and action, it will be even more useful in a home group setting.  I'm working on getting some copies printed through a local printing company. If you're interested in getting a copy when they're printed let me know by posting a comment to this post.

A final note--the reason for the nine-day hiatus in blogging has been a devotion to finishing up Life Cycle.  I had hoped to finish it much sooner, since we're using it for some of our fall LIFE home groups here at New Life, but hoping and planning are two different things, so right now the LIFE groups are getting the books in 2 chapter booklets, until the books are printed.

This Sunday at New Life!

You'll want to be there this Sunday, as we start wrapping up our Back to Basic series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount!  The message is titled, "A Tight Squeeze" as we'll be focusing on Luke 7:13-14, where Jesus tells us about the "narrow gate" and "narrow way" that lead to life, and the wide road that leads to destruction.  The topic locks our attention on the reality that this life is not all there is to life!  If you have questions about heaven and hell, or if you're not sure what it takes to get to heaven--this is a Sunday to be there for sure!

First Day's Okay! (At Knoch Auditorium)

More than nine months had passed since we last worshiped at the Knoch High School Auditorium.  All summer I've been exhorting you to WELCOME people, sit up front, and come in when the music starts---2 out of 3 is only 67%!!!!  You DID welcome folks--as you always do!  You DID sit up front--wow! was that great!  But 72 of you came in WELL AFTER the music started.  We'll have to work on that!  The new sound equipment worked great, and except for the sound team "borrowing" the 2"x4" that I was using as a prop for my message--all went great.   Actually, the missing 2"x4" added a little extra humor to the message--which had as its first point that Jesus has a sense of humor.  (Talk about timing!)  If you missed the first day back--that's okay, becaus we'll be there again this Sunday--the Lord willing--and I hope you'll join us and bring a friend along as well!

Last Chance for the FIRST Men's Fraternity!

Men's Fraternity kicks of tomorrow night and Wednesday morning with more men than the Steelers have players (I think--isn't their roster at 45? We have 47!)  Anyway, if you're reading this and you want to be part of the first ever Men's Fraternity group at New Life -- be at my house at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night or at Elmcroft at 100 Bella Court Saxonburg on Wednesday morning at 5:30 a.m.  We'd love to start off the year with YOU being part of it.  What's Men's Fraternity you ask?  You can find out by going to their website at www.mensfraternity.com, or by BEING THERE tomorrow night or Wednesday morning!

Winded....

Wow!  "Little Ike" as they're calling the winds that passed through western PA last night, really wreaked some havoc.  One of the ironies of it is the wind ALWAYS blows like crazy at our new home on Leasureville Road, and yet our power was out for a total of about 30 seconds, while thousands of folks around the region have no power.  (I guess it's a good thing we have power, because I imagine that we're only a little higher than hell on the priority list for Allegheny Power when it comes to restoring power in a situation like this!  Cabot cannot be very high on the depth chart)  Anyway, Nancy's uncle Dave from Cincinnati called and their power has been off since 3:00 p.m. yesterday, and they've been told it'll be 7-10 days before power is restored in their area.  (Like us they live in the middle of no where, about as far from Cincinnati as we are from Pittsburgh---at least we have a good football team!)  Times like this remind us of how much we've come to depend on our modern conveniences AND that it is possible to live without them--not fun or easy, but possible.  My prayers are with you who have no power, and I guess by the time you can read this our prayers will have been answered!

What a Great Day!

The wedding today was a joyous celebration of Heather and Chad (our niece and her new husband) committing to live together as husband and wife, with Jesus at the center of that relationship!  That Emmy played the keyboard as if it was her 100th wedding instead of her 1st was a blessing, and it was such a great feeling to be  involved in officiating the service as our daughter provided the music.  The weather was the only damper on a bright day.  As I reflect on today, and prepare to go to bed and rest so I'll be ready for a new day of worship and celebration, I'm so grateful that Jesus is in the center of my life, and that even a special day, such as a wedding a day is made even more special when the focus is on Him!  Rest well--and for those late night or early morning readers--I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN WORSHIP!

Behind the Scenes...

While Emmy and I will be having an "up front" role in Heather's wedding tomorrow, Nancy has been working behind the scenes for weeks.  She's doing all the flowers and bows for the wedding, as well as preparing and serving a lot of the food for the reception.  As I've watched and helped her over those weeks, and particularly today, when we got to "crunch time" I've thought about what a gift she has for hospitality and the artistry she has in the area of flowers, and how God has "SHAPE'd" her for such a vital role in the wedding.  Emmy and I will be visible, but Nancy's work will set the atmosphere for the service, and will certainly make the reception worth attending.  Each one who plays a part is so important, and I extend my kudos to Nancy for love displayed for weeks, and for a joy in the doing that is really what servanthood in Jesus' name is all about!

Working Together...

Tomorrow I have the joy of officiating at my niece, Heather's wedding.  The key board player for the service is Emmy, our younger daughter.  It is her first wedding in that role.  Tonight was her first rehearsal with me--our first time of "working" a wedding together.  It was a great experience.  We got there early to set up her keyboard and amp. Then we went through how the service flows.  She played through her songs, and I even sang a little Louis Armstrong, as she played "What a Wonderful World."  We worked at the right settings for "Jesu, Joy of Man's desiring," "Trumpet Voluntary," "The Wedding March," and the recessional music.  By the time everyone in the bridal party arrived Emmy was as cool as a cucumber.  We had fun together, and she was excited the whole way home.  I hope this is only the first of many opportunities for us to serve together in this way.  One of the things that caught me by surprise as we went through the rehearsal is that as Heather stood there with her dad  (Ernie, Nancy's older brother) beside her, and I started to go through the service, I found a little lump in my throat and catch in my voice.  As I looked over at Cindy, my sister-in-law, and saw her tears, they almost started flowing in me as well.  I realized that it isn't going to be that long before Abby and Emmy are going to be in Heather's spot, and I'm not ready for that---YET.  For now, I want to enjoy Emmy being in weddings with me--as the pianist.  That I can handle.  That I enjoy.  If you think of it tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. say a prayer for Chad and Heather as they start their life together, and offer a prayer of thanks that Emmy and I can be part of the event in meaningful ways.

Remembering Dad...

Twelve years ago today, my Dad, Clyde Marshall, went to be with Jesus.  That is to day he died to this life, and moved on to receive his eternal reward.  I've been thinking about it all day, even though as I noted yesterday, Dad "really" died on September 11, 1996.  His heart just didn't stop beating until September 12.  As I've reflected on my Dad, I'm grateful to God for the opportunity to have been able to give my daughters a dad who has known and trusted Jesus all of their lives.  Emmy and I were talking about my dad on the way home from my niece's wedding rehearsal this evening, and I said that my dad had taught me two important things:  work hard and tell the truth.  That's what he knew to teach me.  He didn't know Jesus until I was nearly 40 years old, so he wasn't much help in that department in my developmental years.  Thank God for Uncle Chuck and various pastors who came through Gipsy Christian Church, and most of all for Andy Weigand, who gave me role models of what it means to be Christian and a man.  My mother was a godly role model, but she was a woman, and that role model can only go so far in developing a godly man.  I'm so grateful that Dad DID know Jesus when he died.  I'm glad for the "editing of grace," which allows me to remember so many good things about Dad, and for the not so good ones to fade into the background.  I'm glad that God is breaking the "generational curse" of unhealthy anger that my Dad lived as his dad had before him, and which for much of my life held me in its snare.  The more I let the Holy Spirit lead in my life, the more freedom from that life-long nemesis I experience.  Some day, if Jesus tarries, and all goes according to the natural way of things, my daughters will be remembering me.  My prayer is that through the editing of grace and the ongoing empowering of the Holy Spirit in my life that the legacy they remember is one of God's love and grace lived out in Jesus' name and in the power of the Holy Spirit!