What Do You Smell Like?

Yesterday, I read a passage of Scripture, Ecclesiastes 10:1, "Dead flied putrefy the perfumer's ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor."-- NKJV
The New Living Translation puts it like this, "As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor."

Our sense of smell is one of the strongest senses. Think about it... We taste with our nose more than we deo with our toungue (Don't believe me? Pinch your nose during dinner tonight and see if the food tastes as good as usual.). Another example of how strong smell is to us: My great uncle Philip died in 1989. I was four years old and can't remember his voice at all. But I have several precious things that belonged to him and they still have a faint hint of his cologne. My Grandmother Will died in 2000. I also can't remember what her voice sounded like, but when I go to what was her house, I can still smell the perfume she used.

Smell is such an important part of life. But smells can be bad as well.It used to be that whenever I'd drive into Parkersburg, WV, I could smell the city water treatment plant as soon as I crossed the bridge. If I didn't turn the AC on recirculate, the stench would be stuck in my car for several miles. Let me tell you, that smell is AWEFUL! Just one whiff and it ruined my trip.

It's the same with us, you know. We can work really hard and say all the right things and go through all the right motions. But if we mess up one time, our perfect record is broken. All it takes is one screw up, one mishap, to wreck our attempt at perfection. Just one bit of stench stinks up your life.

Part of the problem with this is that we are used to bad smells if we're near them enough. Spend time around a person with bad hygiene. They are going to smell bad. But they have probably gotten used to it. We get used to our sins and our stinky life. To us, it's not a big deal. But to God, it is a big deal.

God sent Jesus to cleanse us, literally. When we accept Jesus and are cleansed by His blood and obeying His Word, we smell different. The Bible talks of us being living sacrifices, a sweet smelling aroma to God.So what about you? Does your life smell like the city dump? Or has Jesus made you to smell like a bed of roses? If you smell bad, call on Jesus and He'll clean you up.

It's Hard To Admit Mistakes

Hi! My name is Adam and I have a problem. Sometimes I have this compulsive desire or need for people to like me. Lately this has gotten me into trouble.

I realize that not everyone likes me. I realize that I might even make people angry. But still, I can't stand it to know that people are upset with me. Sometimes this desire to please others pushes me towards spiritually unhealthy behaviors.

Lately I let someone down and I felt really bad about it. Its not that I did anything intentional, but rather, I forgot to take care of something for them. Whats worse is that when push came to shove, I was tempted and did lie about it. Yeah, that's right, I sinned and I feel like crap about it. I thought that telling the truth would cause problems so I figured if I stretched the truth a bit, it would be okay. After all, I got the job taken care of before any deadline, so no harm, no foul, right?

WRONG! What I did was wrong. I am supposed to be an example of a Christ follower, but here I showed my self to be just another example of fallen humanity. Yeah, I know we aren't perfect, but this really bothers me. Yes, I have confessed my sin to God and He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us, but I also think God is teaching me a lesson with all of this.

I understand that you cannot trust a liar. But truthfully, (ha... no pun intended) I can say that I am a pretty honest person. It just seems that when push comes to shove I feel this need to stretch the truth to keep on people's A-list. But when I do that, all that happens is that I get myself into trouble with others and I disappoint my God and Savior.

So to the person I wronged, I am sorry. I know that doesn't make it okay, but please forgive me.

The carnal nature in me just wants to cry out, "It's no big deal. It wasn't life or death. Why do people notice when I tell one little white lie and others lie all the time?" Actually that last part does sometimes get me. But we need to realize that when we sin, it's not against the other person. Our sin is always vertical against a holy God rather than horizontal against fellow sinful people.

So to everyone out there, I am sorry. Even if this instance doesn't include you, I am sorry if I have destroyed any trust. This has all been very humbling to me. Yeah, I know we all mess up and some more than others, but I need to constantly remember that I am only clean because of Jesus and not because of my position, heritage, or works I do.

Here I stand, opened up about something most bloggers and pastors would never admit to, but I need to. It's hard to admit mistakes, but I can't face Jesus or others unless I do. Again, it might have only been one white lie, but that was one too many.

Reflections from Sunday --Easter Sunday (4/12/2009)

Sunday was Easter, and it was a great day! I get excited every time I get to be with my Christian bothers and sisters and spend time with Jesus. I'm sure you can guess that Easter is just about the busiest time of the year for a church (except Christmas). It is hard for to believe that it has come and gone, but here are some thoughts I have as I've pondered over the day and the message I preached.

The message was called Remembering Jesus. The Bible reading for the message was John 6:47-58. Here are some of the basic points of the message:

• Jesus said that we need to eat His body and drink His blood to have eternal life. This is not an easy passage. And no, it is not talking about becoming Hannibal Lector. Let me unpack this a little more for you:
• God Created the Entire World-- In Genesis 1, we see that God made the universe and everything in it. Just like a building proves there was builder and a painting proves the existence of the artist, so creation and the clear design we see all around us points us to the fact that something created the world. We know Him to be the LORD God.
• Everything Was Perfect in the Beginning-- God created mankind to know us and to have a personal relationship with us. We were created to show the glory of God and to be on intimate terms with Him. And that worked out great... for a while... and then Adam and Eve fell into sin. Because of sin, there is a curse on all humanity.
• People Have Tried to Get Back to God for Centuries-- The problem is that sin is not based solely on outside actions, but on the inside of the heart (mind, will, emotions, etc.). God destroyed the earth once by water (remember Noah and the Ark?), but right after that, people still sinned (Noah became drunk and one of his sons walked in on him naked). The reason the couldn't? Sin is a heart condition and not merely a matter to be overcome by will power.
• God Gave His People the 10 Commandments-- These laws didn't make people right with God. Rather, they showed people the way they really were. You can't be very self-righteous when you look through the 10 Commandments. When I look at them, I realize how far I am from God's standard. He is way, WAY out of my league.
• You CANNOT Get to God by Doing Good Things-- Think about it... If I killed someone today, and then for the next 20 years I gave millions to charity and I spent time working in homeless shelters, that would not take away the fact that I had committed murder. Or look at it this way. Say you sin only 1 time a day. In 1 year, that's 365 sins. In 3 years, that's more than 1,000 sins. In 30 years, that's more than 10,000 sins. And how many of us can only sin once a day? How many sins does it take to keep you out of heaven and away from God forever? God personally said that just 1 will! That's a high standard that none of us can possibly achieve.
• Jesus Came to Bridge the Gap-- That's why we remember Jesus. That's why His followers take what is called Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist: Jesus came and did what we could never do. See, God loves us so much that even though we're the ones who broke the relationship with Him, He is the One who mends it! By the way, many people do not believe Jesus ever existed. To that, I'll say this: I'm a history geek. I love it. And I can show you that there is more historical proof that Jesus existed-- from secular and even anti-Christian sources-- than there is for the existence of Christopher Columbus.
• Here's Why Jesus Told us to "Eat His Flesh" and "Drink His Blood"-- A close look at the context of John 6 reveals Jesus is speaking figuratively. He said He was the bread of life. That means that Jesus needs to be the building block, the source of focus, direction, and sustenance in our lives. Jesus is telling us that while it is His death and His resurrection that removes our sin and places us in heaven, rather than hell, we MUST participate. We need to die to self and thereby discover who we are truly made to be. If we don't identify with Jesus, then He will not identify and save us. This Easter, we need to remember Jesus and celebrate who He is!

Here are a few other thoughts besides the message--

-- We had 43 people at Eden on Sunday! Great! A lot of guests! I am very proud for Eden UB stepping up and bringing people!
-- 12 of the above mentioned 43 were under the age of 14! AWESOME!! Our Children's ministry was pushed to the limits, but they did a great job with all those kids! Man, I get so stoked to see kids loving Jesus!
-- We had several people recommit their lives to Christ! That never gets old!! It's so awesome to see God changing people's lives! It's better than anything I've ever experienced!
-- We had a few people express interest in learning more about Accepting Jesus Christ as Forgiver and Leader.
-- A kid at Eden wants to get Baptised!

All in all, it was the best Easter I've yet to experience as a pastor, and I am looking forward to see what God is going to do next Sunday!

Some Things That Are On My Mind & Why the FOCA Must be Defeated

Yeah, I know that I haven't blogged for a while and I haven't been posting my thoughts on Sundays. I assure you that I am still alive and that I am still preaching. I just didn't blog. Oh well. Enough small talk. Lately, some things have been either consuming my thoughts or just simply interrupting my normal ones. Here's a few:

• I am officially too stupid to work at Wal-mart! Huh? PEOPLE WHO WORK AT WAL-MART: THE FOLLOWING MAY SEEM INSULTING, BUT IT'S NOT: To work at Wal-mart you need to apply, right? Well on the online application you have to take an assessment. No problem, right? After all, I've never "officially" worked retail, but I have sold stuff and worked in constumer service before. Well, I failed the assessment. It was one of those self-evaluations with a scale of 1-5. I am terrible at those!! I never thought of myself as incapable of being a Wal-mart greeter, but evidently I am.
• My diet is really not working out. My goal is to loose 40 lbs. before my July 11, 2009 wedding. I was doing great for about the first two months. I lost 10 lbs. I might have gained it all back and then some. I really struggle with weight. I want to be fit for my wife and future family not to mention that I am being a really bad steward of the body God gave me.
• So this won't sound like a gripe list: I am really excited about Easter. Easter and Christmas are the two most anticipated dates for a minister (besides vacation, which could be more holy). Is Eden ready to receive a whole bunch of guests? I'm not sure that we're ready. But I do know that God often uses the weak to show His strength. I am really praying and believing that He is going to show up BIG this Sunday and on Easter. I know that when we expect God to show up, He never misses a chance to show Himself.
• Secret Sins Seem to Be the Worst Kind. Why? Because you feel as though you can't confide in anyone. I've talked lately to some people who have been dealing with secret sins and I've had to deal with some of my own before. I take that back. God has had to deal with them. He is the only one who can.
• I am EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED WITH OBAMA. I didn't vote for the guy. I figured he'd drop the ball. But I want our president to succeed. He is the president of us all. But he either continually makes bad decisions or fails to make them at all. This wouldn't bother me so much if he didn't promise to do things in a more open and different way. The only difference so far is that Washington DC is more secret and corrupt than ever. Way to go, Mr. President! Not to mention his die-hard support for abortion and the FREEDOM OF CHOICE ACT (FOCA).
• About the FOCA-- The Freedom of Choice Act of 2009 if pasted would put the final nail in the coffin that is America. This act is anything but freedom. It makes any law regarding limits to abortion criminal and void. Seriously, no state could legislate anything regarding abortion or "reproductive rights".
• Get this: I am a school board member and I know this for sure... If a 14 yr. old girl at Eastern Local wants an aspirin, she needs parental consent. Aspirin is generally very safe. But if the FOCA passes the same 14 yr. old girl could go to a clinic and get an abortion with out parental consent. Independent medical studies have shown that all forms of abortion are potentially life threatening to the mother. Many women have mild to severe side effects after having an abortion including: sterilization, hysterectomy, cancer of the uterus, cancer of the vagina, cancer of pelvis, genital trauma, major side effects from medication, etc. But we refuse to get the parents involved.
• As a minister, I am required by law and conscience to report any indications of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. But the FOCA allows abortion providers to get around this law. Girls may be getting raped by their fathers or someone else, and forced to have an abortion without anyone ever being investigated.
• My mother works for St. Joseph's Hospital in Parkersburg, WV. They are owned in part by the Catholic Church and as such refuse to provide abortions or controversial medications that can cause abortions. They have that legal right. The FOCA would force all doctors and nurses, and hospitals to perform abortions on demand. If my mother was a Jehovah's Witness and had a moral objection to participating in a blood transfusion, the hospital would have to get another nurse. Under to FOCA, the hospital could not make that exception if my mother has an objection to performing an abortion.
• That said, most Catholic hospitals in the US would close rather than perform murder on demand (oops, I mean abortion). The Bishop who oversees St. Joseph's has already made it clear they would close rather than perform one abortion. In our area, at least half of our hospitals are owned in part at least by the Catholic Church. Typically, they are better ranked hospitals too. My mother tells me that already there is a shortage of capacity in the area hospital beds. So, Obama, the great health care reformer will cause a health care crisis in this country like we've never had.
• Even if you do think abortion is okay in some instances (like rape and incest and mother's health [which account for less than 1% of abortions]), this Freedom of Choice Act would spell disaster for this country.
• I really believe that America will be judged by God for this. In the Bible, God destroyed nations when "their sin had reached it's fullest capacity." God IS keeping score and we just keep pushing the line. I truly believe we can't have peace and prosperity while killing the unborn! Do you realize we, the USA, the great Beacon of Hope and Freedom, have killed 3 times as many babies that Hitler killed in the entire 2nd World War? Hitler was evil, but we think we're just giving people the freedom to choose. CHOOSE AMERICA! Choose Life & Choose to follow God, not self!

Just One Small Change Can Make A Huge Difference!

Right now I am typing on my home PC, which is odd because lately I have nearly exclusively used my laptop. So what, right? Well let me explain why.

Yesterday, my fiancee Christina and I worked at cleaning my dinning room. Years ago my parents got rid out the dinning room table and the room turned into the computer room. It has been continually filthy, thanks mostly to me. So yesterday we cleaned it. Some couples watch movies. Some go one nice country drives. Christina and I clean. She motivates me to get off my hindquarters and actually accomplish things!

Anyway, after we cleaned most of it, I had an idea. We have cleaned this room before but it always go back to looking like a disaster zone withing days. I thought maybe we could re-arrange the room to make it more functional and actually create more space. She thought it was a great idea, provided I didn't fill up that extra space with more junk. So we spent about 4 hours total cleaning and rearranging the heavy computer desk, and moving chairs and etc. Now there is a functional space that includes the computer a little sitting area in one corner, with more floor space than we've had here for a long time. Again, what's the point?

Just a small change can make a HUGE difference. Instead of sitting in my room working on my laptop, I am downstairs working in a clean workspace and feeling very good about it. Just a small change in the layout of this room (as well as a lot of pick-up and throw-away) has changed my work habits and mood.

This principle can be applied to areas of my life besides clutter. Last night I took Christina home to her house and got back around midnight. This morning when I called her, we decided to read our Bibles via phone. We've made a commitment to read the Bible together everyday, when possible. Already today I feel much closer to her and excited about what God is doing and going to do in my life. Already I feel really motivated to get stuff done. Just a small change... But a HUGE impact.

I've heard the following about pilots & airplanes: Even on auto pilot, the plane is constantly being turned and adjusted to correct it's course. Just a one degree difference can be huge. I heard it said that if a plan flying from New York to Hawaii is off just one degree it could end up in Australia (it could be New York to Tokyo and ending up in Australia). All it takes to stay on course is a small change.

So I want to encourage everyone to make just a small baby step today. Read your Bible for 10 minutes today. Pray for 5. Go to church tomorrow even if Sunday is your day to sleep in. Spend 5 minutes telling your spouse how wonderful they are. Play with you kids for a few more minutes. Offer to help an elderly person with their bags at the store. Just baby steps... It can and WILL make a huge difference!

By the way, at Eden tomorrow we're talking about how faith is absolute confidence and how we can have complete confidence in Jesus Christ. Hope to see you there at 11 AM!

My Thoughts on (and hopes for) Barack Hussein Obama-- Part I

First off, let me give a disclaimer: I haven't talked about Obama much here if at all. But he is going to make history no matter what your opinion of him and therefore, I feel the need to blog. I blog, therefore I am. By the way, this is my rant, and not a political endorsement or policy of Eden Church or any of my affiliations. Okay, here goes!

I did not vote for Barack Obama. I know people who did and I am sorry for them. Joking! Okay, sort of. I find Obama a fascinating figure. His rise to nation renown is a stuff of legend. The fact that a person of mixed race who admitted to always finding it hard to fit in with either whites or blacks has risen above a rough past to achieve is dreams is something to find admirable.

But here is my issue with him. I am a follower of Jesus, or what is commonly called, a Christian. I realize a lot of my friends aren't really on fire with God, and that is partly a result of all of the hypocrisy in the churches. So I am the real deal. I want to show people that my faith doesn't end on a certain day to only begin again on Sunday. If my faith is the real thing, then it should consume me. "For I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live, but it is not I that lives, but rather Christ that lives in me!"

If my faith really consumes me, it is not compartmentalized, but rather makes up my life. My purpose is to make Jesus famous and glorify God in all I do, not just some of it. Barack Obama is part of what is being called the "religious left." That's just it, their religious but not Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus. I think that to support abortion by claiming that the evangelicals only care about the baby in the womb is STUPID AND VILE. I realize we have to deal with poverty and the issues that sometimes lead to a woman choosing abortion. And I concede that the evangelicals have at times been lacking in that area and we REALLY need to step up. But COME ON! So the holocaust of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto was okay because they were going to have a miserable existence living in the ghetto during the Third Reich? Ridiculous!

On dealing with helping others, the Church of Jesus has really been loosing focus. We need to advance the ball down the field here. Jesus talked often about sharing your possessions because in reality, they don't belong to you, but rather to God. Obama needs to realize something here. Jesus was all about the re-distribution of wealth, but only on a voluntary basis. Another thing, all these possessions belong to God, not to the government. I am convinced if the U.S. Government were to use the Book of Proverbs (even taking out the God parts) we would not be in this recession. I am not talking about a theocracy but rather using common sense and wisdom, bot of which God literally wrote the book on.

Obama is like a messiah to many people and this REALLY TICKS ME OFF! Even if he is a great guy, and I am sure he is and I would even like to just hang out with him, he is just another fallen guy trying to fix a fallen world with fallen methods. I know of people who have honestly stopped paying their bills simply because the think Barack is going to solve all their problems. In Obama's defense, lately he has been distancing himself from the extreme "Obama = Jesus" fanatics, but during the campaign he seemed to encourage this cult of personality. Democrat, Republican, Independent, or what ever, this is not a healthy thing. Nancy Pelosie said Obama was a gift from God. Huh? This statement about God's Will coming from a secular Catholic? Oh boy, let me pin that on my wall! Seriously, these people need to calm down and let the dude do his job.

I do wish Obama well and I will pray for him just as much as I did for George W. Bush, and maybe even more. I will follow up with more on this after the swearing-in later today.

My Goals for 2009

2009 is already here and before you know it, it will be half over. So many times I've broken my resolutions for the new year. But this year, I thought that I needed to make some. Not just some random goals, but goals that I think God has for me. So without further ado, here they are:

• Loose 40 Pounds by July.
• Get married July 11th.
• Learn to be a better fiance and future husband to Christina.
• Get back to focusing on my education.
• Disciple 4 men at Eden Church
• Find new supplemental employment.
• Make personal time with God a priority.
• Finish the 40 or so books I have started in the last year and not finished (everything from history, to cooking, to church leadership, to mysteries, to humor, to Max Lucado and John Ortberg).

So there they are. And that is probably not all of them. Back in August, my bishop gave me a homework assignment to complete. I needed to name 1 or 2 short-term goals (6-12 months) in 9 different areas of my life. Well, I haven't really worked on them thus far, but now is the perfect opportunity.

Yes, I have already broken some of them. I did eat that Peanut-Butter Ice Cream I swore off. But in my defense, it wasn't as much as I used to eat! Ha!

I really want to be all that God wants me to be because I find myself desiring a deeper intimacy with Him. Notice I said desire. I am not always as close to God as I should be. I fall at times. But I am so thankful that God's Holy Spirit is stirring in me and is causing me to have a deeper desire for a closer walk with God.

What are some of your resolutions?

Christmas Day

Today has been a great Christmas!! This month at Eden Church the messages have been all about having the best Christmas ever. Well, today certainly makes the list of best Christmases. Christina and I left her house at 8 a.m. this morning and arrived at my home at 9:30. We opened gifts at around 10:30. It seems as though we had fewer packages this year, but in reality, I think that we had more gifts but they were in smaller boxes. Some great gifts:

• My brother Aaron received: toilet cleaner (he is a bachelor who lives like one), gift cards, a fire exting., and a few other things.
• Dad got a a few DVDs and I gave him a gift card to Borders because I forgot the books he wanted.
• Mom got a new angel for the top of the tree from Christina and I; a biography on Condelizza Rice from me; A candle from Christina; a DVD from dad; a calendar from Aaron; and some other stuff.
• Christina received: A computer game from me; a book from me; some clothes from Mom; a stereo from Dad; I got her several other nice things. This year we started our Christmas Village. Mom got Christina and I several new accessories for our village.
• Here's the run down of what I got: From Chrissy-- The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren, The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a blanket she crocheted for me ( I LOVE IT!), a DVD, and a bunch of other things; from Mom-- a Hallmark ornament, a few books, some clothes, including a new dress shirt which I desperately needed, and a few other things one would expect from their mother. Dad got me a gift card to JC Penney's and Aaron got me a gift card to Olive Garden and a new wireless Internet router. Yea! Now I can surf from the comfort of by couch or bed. Gee... Could I get any more lazy?!

We had a great home-made meal today at 2 PM. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, home-made 12 grain bread, corn-cornbread casserole, and a green bean casserole. An older couple who are very dear family friends (the lady was my baby sitter and is like another grandmother) came down and gave us a wonderful home made red velvet cake. Awesome.

As I write this, surrounded by the lights and loved ones watching Christmas movies, I can not help but feel very blessed. At the same time, keep thinking about others. My mind keeps going back to the first family we took a food basket to a few weeks ago. My heart just keeps breaking for them. I had no idea that they would be gone the next day. The youngest girl of those three (who couldn't be more than 4 yrs old) told us, "Thanks for all the presents!" The oldest, who was probably 8 said, "Look, mom! There's more!"

I'm not rich. If I didn't still live at home, I'd be way below the poverty level. But, I am so blessed. God has given me so much. I am so very grateful for His Son Jesus, my Forgiver and Leader. That is the greatest gift of all. But on a more earthly level, I am so blessed. These people who go without. I don't mean going without getting the latest I POD or going without a new PlayStation 3 or what ever. There are people going with out food and shelter and love and peace, and people who are going to hell without Christ Jesus. We are called to be the Church, the body of Christ, but how often are we reaching out to others with the Love of God?

I am really praying that God will richly bless that family. I want to see them accept Christ and get back on their feet.

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas Caroling

Last night, Eden UB Church went Christmas Caroling. This was our either our third or fourth year going. Well, this year was by far the best!

This fall, when we had our Fall Festival, we took all donations from that, plus other gifts from people in the church, and decided to give away food baskets. In the last two months, we've had people bring other things to church with them. In addition to food, we collected soap, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, detergent, and other stuff. We also supplemented each food basket (which is designed for Christmas dinner complete with a frozen pie, bag of potatoes, and a ham) with fresh fruit. But we didn't stop with just the 9 food baskets. We also made up about 10 fruit baskets to give to everyone who was nominated for a food basket.

Ten of us showed up for caroling, and IT WAS A BLAST! We were out for nearly two hours but it zoomed by fast. In addition to the baskets, each home got a Christmas Gospel of John and an invitation card to Eden. But we didn't go out looking for people to come to church. We went out to BE THE CHURCH. I got to pray with almost every family. We just wanted to show people the love of God. That is what Christmas is all about: Jesus came to earth and became flesh and dwelt among us. He left heaven for us! So last night, we left the warm confines of our building to go and share the light and love of Jesus Christ with those who are in so much physical and Spiritual need.

The first family was really poor and, as I understand it, about to be evicted from their rental, about 1/4 mile from Eden. The mother was already in tears when we crossed the street singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." That family consists of parents, three little girls under 10, and occasionally the grandparents. All living in a 4-5 room house.

Another stop was to a family where the grandmother's trailer had burned so she was living with her daughter and grand kids. There were 4 boys there. They were really surprised.

A fruit basket went to a family of 4 brothers, middle aged, who have severe mental disabilities. One of the brothers is crippled. It seems like their legal guardians take advantage of them, but I'm not sure about that. They have so little.... I drive by their house every time I go to Eden Church. I wonder how many people just drive by, with out ever trying to help; without ever being the Light of the World. Folks, these people need help! All of these people need Jesus Christ in some way or another, like the rest of us.

Its time for the church to be the Church Jesus wants us to be!

It is times like this that I go home and sleep, knowing that I was being a little more like Jesus. That is my prayer for today: that I become more like Christ Jesus in every area of my life and that I give my life completely over to Him.

My First Catholic Mass & What I Learned from Chad

Today marks a first for me. I attended my first Roman Catholic Mass.

I am in Columbus for an Ohio School Board conference. One of the people there with our team is our librarian/teacher/media specialist. His name is Chad and he is a remarkable guy. I've known Chad for about 14 years. When I was but a wee lad, Chad attended my church, Mt. Hermon UB, for a spell when he was in high school. When I was in high school, he was the geography and British Literature teacher. When it came time for me to take his class, he transferred to the hybrid position he has now. In 2003, he re-enlisted in the Army Reserves. In 2006, he was sent to Iraq as an intelligence liaison. Needless to say, he is a pretty cool guy. He is the kind of person you enjoy being around. I've enjoyed discussing everything from teachers contracts to the finer points of theology. What does this have to do with a Mass?

Between sessions, Chad and I decided to walk to the historic St. Patrick's Church in downtown Columbus. On the way, Chad told me that during his time of church hoping, he found his home in the Catholic Church. I was surprised. I didn't know he espoused any particular faith, let alone Christian. We talked all the way to the church. When we got there, we found out they had a daily Mass at 11:45. It was 11:50, so we went in. Now I know a lot about Catholicism, but even I was slightly lost during the service.

I enjoyed the priest's homily, but we missed nearly half of it. He was talking about a saint from Italy during the 4th century who was a pacifist. Then I remembered, it is Veteran's Day. The majority of the remainder was taken up by the Eucharist. Chad was considerate to stay kneeling with me in reverence while the others went up for the sacrament.

Now, I do have serious qualms about the Catholic church and it's teaching. But, I only heard one mention of Mary as the "Mother of God" and to be honest, it reminded me of a very liturgical United Methodist wedding I attended a few years back.

Chad and I walked to an indoor market place for lunch and we continued our talk over NY style pizza and curried Indian vegetables. I was always quite impressed by this man. But today I saw a new side of him. Is Chad an evangelical? I'd say close, but not quite. A true Christian? I saw more of Christ in him today than I see in many people who claim to be. As he and I both said, God looks on (and knows) the heart.