Here We Go!

After much prompting and exhorting from my leadership team I am now venturing into a whole new arena, blogging. Jamie edits anything and everything I ever write, except my sermons. I know, it shows! So, for those of you who insist on proper grammar, sentence structure, etc. I apologize now for the multiplicity of mistakes you will find. I decided that my blog will be 100% pure me with all the warts. In fact, I just shared with Jamie my intent and her response was, “at least use spell check”! Having just turned fifty, my thought is to post my fifty favorite scriptures and or my fifty favorite messages I have preached over the past 28 years. This will be a weekly post. I will share the scripture text used and the main points to the message with a brief commentary. In addition, I will post random messages as time and inspiration allow. I hope to bring some small value to whoever might read these ramblings from a pastor’s heart. Thanks for stopping by! Again, sorry for the grammatical crucifixion!

Lets begin with my “50” message preached on March 29, 2009: the Year of Liberty “50”

Text: Lev 25:10-13 “Consecrate the 50^th year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The 50^th year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the intended vines. For it is a jubilee and is holy for you; eat only what is directly from the fields. In this year of Jubilee everyone is to return his own property.”

From Nelson’s Bible Dictionary: “The Jubilee year signified a call to joy, liberation, and the beginning of a year for doing justice and loving mercy. It is a reminder of God’s interest in liberty; God wants His people to be free. In this way the people learned that God’s demand to love and obey Him was directly related to his concern for the welfare of all people.”

Top Ten perks of being 50:

1. You can eat dinner at 4:00 pm

2. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks in the room

3. People call at 9:00 pm and ask, “did I wake you?”

4. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge

5. You get into heated arguments about pension plans

6. Things you buy now won’t wear out

7. There’s nothing left to learn the hard way

8. No one expects you to run-----anywhere

9. Kidnappers are not very interested in you

10. In a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first

Over the Hill quotes:

· My mind not only wanders; it sometimes leaves completely

· I’m over the hill but the climb was terrific

· We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing

· I’m so old I can laugh, cough, sneeze, and pee all at the same time (Jamie would have edited this out)

Main Points:

1. 50 is a time for Celebration!

2. 50 is a time to proclaim liberty!

3. 50 is a time for a fresh start!

4. 50 is a time to forgive and be forgiven of any outstanding debt! ( I am sending my mortgage company a copy of this message)

5. 50 is a time to be reminded of God’s love and redemptive purposes!

Celebrate Turning 50 by Gina Mahony “You are at your peak. It is your time. It is time to celebrate who you are, what you have accomplished and it is a time to enjoy! Turning 50 is now a rite of passage into a whole new life. Turning 50 means freedom, freedom to enjoy yourself and not worry about having fun. It is a time of freedom knowing you are all grown up. It is freedom of been there, done that. Freedom to laugh out loud, freedom to be outspoken and freedom to enjoy yourself without worrying about what people think or what people say. Fifty is a pretty impressive number”

So, I decided to play more in my year of jubilee! For the first time in many, many years, I am going to use all of my vacation time and simply play more and have more fun! Jamie went all out for my 50^th birthday bash and got me a couple of very nice gifts; one was tickets to the Reds opening day in Cincinnati; I braved 39 degree temps with rain and sleet; the Reds lost but I had a blast; the next day Taylor and I took in the Masters; what a treat that was; and to finish off the week we went to the braves opening game; the monsoons came; but again had a great time with family and friends; I am off to a good start; Since I love church; Sundays and Wednesdays are “fun” for me; I love what I do! Easter Sunday we had a record crowd so 50 has been very, very good to mu thus far! Stay tuned!