jmcgready’s misc universe

This should turn out to be a really great set of services -
just don’t come expecting this to be a rally for McCain (or Obama for that matter).

This is from my pastor:

This coming weekend, Shane Claiborne,
author of Jesus for President,
will be speaking at our services.

Shane will be speaking about
what it means to live as a “citizen of heaven” in the world today
and how this should impact our everyday lives.

In preparing for Shane,
would you please be praying for the following?

• Pray that God blesses our services.
• Pray that God leads Shane as he speaks.
• Pray that God brings lots of unchurched people to our services.
• Pray about who God would have you invite.

God is going to use our services in a significant way this weekend.
I can’t wait to see what He does!

I am praying to You because I know You will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
Psalm 17:6

Be praying!

Pastor Rob
Bethel / The Church at Franklin Mills
With 3 weekend services:
Saturday at 6 pm,
and Sunday at 9:30 am & 11:15 am
www.FMchurch.net

Technorati Tags: bethel, citizen, citizen of heaven, everyday lives, franklin mills, god, jesus, obama, rally, shane claiborne, world today

just leaving church - they played Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” in the service

Technorati Tags: bethel, franklin mills, johnny cash, nine inch nails

Looking forward to: Children of the World Choir at Bethel.. The Church @Franklin Mills ( http://tinyurl.com/4g9×25 )

Technorati Tags: bethel, children of the world, children of the world choir, franklin mills

One of the churches I mentioned in my article on
Where to find Japanese Christian music, songs and artists.
First Japanese Baptist Church
in Sacramento, CA was ransacked - thousands of dollars in instruments were taken.

Burglars ransacked a church and a dozen other businesses
in south Sacramento overnight, making off with expensive equipment
and leaving costly damage behind.
The First Japanese Baptist Church suffered the loss of
thousands in musical instruments, a vital part of their services….
The thieves also swiped a pricey overhead projector…

The thieves also took money and computers from a non-profit
that helped needy fathers.

My first reaction was disgust, along with
anger and hatred towards the thieves.

Then I remembered the sermon at Bethel this Sunday,
about how the pastor recalled facing the guy who broke into his car
and stole a lot of valuable stuff and his natural instinct was to get annoyed,
but then he looked at the notes for the sermon he was preparing -
it was about guilt, grace and forgiveness in Christ.

That gave him a reality check that got his mind refocused
much like my recalling his recollection has given me a reality check.

Decisions have consequences - and not just for the bad guys, either.

anyway, if you’re the praying sort, please pray for them,
the church and the thieves, that the highest and best good is done
in all their lives - for God’s greater glory.

Technorati Tags: bethel, christian Japanese music, costly damage, First Japanese Baptist Church, japan music christian, japanese christian music, japanese christian music artists, Japanese Christianity, musical instruments, Nessen Music Ministry, Sacramento baptist church, sacramento ca, sacramento church, south Sacramento

today was a study in frustration.

overslept but was able to cut lateness down to <10 min.
by taking a cab from Frankford Terminal to work -
pricey but necessary.

didn’t eat breakfast but got a quart of green smoothie to drink @ 1PM.

wall of customers until almost 3PM,
quick (0.5 hr) lunch and then back at it.

BTW, still trying to shake the last of this flu,
most of it in my chest and throat, which is aggravated
by having to talk so much.

did I mention that a new guy is being trained,
and is thus asking questions?

and that returning student workers are asking questions?

and that customers are asking questions with 5 followup
questions that are only slightly reworded versions of the
original question, whose answer they didn’t like and/or understand?

it is in this milieu that I remember Sunday’s message in James
about trouble’s use as a building tool in our lives and
that we should consider it joy when we go through stuff like this.

mentally… agree
but existentially? fuhgeddaboudit…

hooray for conscious incompetence!

Now I’m home writing this…

Technorati Tags: a study in frustration, bethel, book of james, church, flu, followup questions, frankford terminal, frustration, frustrations, incompetence, James, lunch, milieu, overslept, smoothie

was at Bethel today -
apparently one of the dead and one of the injured
was related to a family at Bethel.

KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia - 2 Die, 4 Injured in N. Phila. Hit & Run

A two car accident in North Philadelphia Saturday night
leaves two people dead and four hospitalized.

The striking driver fled the scene on foot
and remains the object of a police manhunt.

Technorati Tags: bethel, car accident, kyw newsradio 1060 philadelphia, north philadelphia, saturday night

and what have I done?

I guess it’s time for my annual bout of self-recrimination,
although I don’t know why I’m so down on myself this year.

I’ve gone from being a perennial church attender (Christmas and Easter)
who thought “Sunday morning is another planet“
to serving as an usher on Sunday mornings.

Last year I was watching a service of lessons and carols on TV
in an overflow room in the basement of Tenth Presbyterian Church
which I’d been attending for almost two decades and realizing
that the only thing keeping me there was one ministry (mereBreath).

I had been not doing weekly church for 2 or 3 years before that service -
I’d only been around for rehearsals and Tech Week.

So when I saw Bethel’s website, I thought I’d check out Easter services.
My mom was pleased with my attending any church at this juncture.

I went. I was hooked.
Got involved 3 months later.

Which leads me to now - and the recrimination.

Last year it was not seeing anything ahead.

This year it’s seeing all the possibilities ahead,
and not knowing which will come to pass.

Like I said before - better than last year.

Technorati Tags: bethel, christmas, easter services, lessons and carols, mereBreath, mom, possibilities, recrimination, sunday morning, usher

About this time last year, I had my primary email account and secondary eBay account
hijacked by Nigerian scammers.

I weathered it well, since most of the sellers were smart enough not to ship to Africa.

Just realized that Mom’s had a cellphone for a year -
she’s only made 2-3 calls but at least she has a phone when she needs it.

BTW, got mom a leather seat pad
(was out fitting it to the car last night)
she loves that she can slide into the car much easier now.

Service at Bethel was great (and packed)
started up with a light show set to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 and ended with singing Silent Night by the light of candles.

overall, much better than last year.

Technorati Tags: bethel, candles, cellphone, christmas, ebay, eve, leather seat, mom, nigerian scammers, sarajevo, silent night, trans siberian orchestra

I did something today that I haven’t done in nearly eight months:
I didn’t go to church.

Since I set a target of attending church at least 3 times per month
way back in April, I’ve pretty much gone every week.

I guess it’s a good a time as any to see
what’s gone on in my life since then.
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: alton brown, attending church, bethel, e s posthumus, eight months, fast food, good eats, involvement, nativity, recovery time, time of year, wise guy

Cartoon by Dave Walker.
Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Who cares about the television says to do?

There’s always Saturday services at
Bethel - the Church @ Franklin Mills

Service starts @ 6:00 PM, you’re out before 8:00 PM,
and you can sleep in on Sunday - how cool is that?

For more information, check out this link

Technorati Tags: bethel, franklin mills, saturday night, saturday services