Andy's Blog: A Personal Word

February 2010 Archive

February 23, 2010

Feb. 23, 2010

They were showing reruns of Forrest Gump on TV last week. It is one of my all time favorite movies. It shares the story of a young man who is mentally “challenged,” but whose life in every other way challenges us. 

In the movie, Jenny is a young girl who rescues Forrest from the bullies on the school bus. They become life long friends. But as they grow up, it is apparent that Jenny is the one who most needs rescuing. Terrorized by an abusive, alcoholic father, Jenny spends much of her life running. She leaves home in search of love.

Through the years, Forrest continues to cross paths with Jenny as she bounces from one relationship to another. She, too, becomes an addict. The only fixed point in her life is Forrest, who continues to believe in her innocence and goodness, and he continues to love. But Jenny continues to run and search.

It takes a terminal illness for Jenny to realize that the love she has been searching for was right there waiting for her all the time. It was the love of Forrest who was simple and not very smart, but who knew what love was. They married, and for a few brief months before her death, Jenny finally discovers the peace that only love can bring.

The season of Lent is a season of return. It calls us back to the basics of life. The good news of the gospel is so simple that we can miss it: the one constant in life is God’s love for us. We can try to find that core love in lots of other ways, and come up empty.  Yet no matter where we run, how lost we become, His love is there waiting for us when we are ready to return and receive it. 

February 16, 2010

Feb. 16, 2010

Just one day is not much in the grand scheme of things. If we live to be 75, we will have lived 27,750 days – one day just like the others for the most part. But there are those single days which stand out, because on that single day something happens which shapes all the days that will follow.

Several summers ago, I stood on the beaches of Normandy in France, where 60 plus years ago the allied armies launched their invasion to liberate Europe from the Nazi tyranny. D-Day was perhaps the single most important day in the 20th Century. Within that 24 hour span of time, the course of history shifted towards freedom. The decisive battle was fought and won.

As Christians, we have our D-Day – the last day of Jesus’ life among us. Jesus is believed to have lived to the age of 33. The gospels devote most of their attention to just three of those years. And of those three years, the primary focus was on just one day – the day Jesus was crucified. In 2 Corinthians Paul writes, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

At the cross, something happened that forever altered the course of history. On that day, the Gospels declare God acted decisively to bring about redemption; to free us from sin and death. No other event has had more impact on history than what happened on that day. 

Our theme for Lent this year is “24 Hours That Changed the World.” During this season, we will walk with Jesus. Sit beside him at the Last Supper. Pray with him in Gethsemane. Follow him to the cross. Deny him and desert him. In that journey, there is the promise that we will be changed. 

I invite us all to enter this Lenten season open to what God wants to do in us and through us. Make worship, Bible study, and prayer your top priorities in this season. May these 40 days shape all of the other days of our lives. 

February 8, 2010

Feb. 8, 2010

A vital part of our mission at Trinity is to GO in order to serve Christ in the world.  The recent church survey we completed in January, revealed that we are living out this mission. 64% reported that they had participated in an outreach or mission project in the last year! For 20% of you, this is an ongoing, recurring participation.
25% of you participated in last year’s Great Day of Service, 37% worked with the homeless though Birmingham Hospitality Network, and 35% worked with the Church of the Reconciler.

A few weeks ago I challenged us to respond to the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Haiti. Thus far, you have given over 1,100 health care kits to be shipped to Haiti by United Methodist Committee on Relief. In addition, $23,500 has been collected for the ongoing recovery in that nation through the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Most of our outreach efforts are local in nature. During Lent we will partner with Council Elementary School in Ensley to work with their students, as well as work on their facilities. Our hope is that this relationship might continue.

This summer, there are two opportunities to be a part of an international mission trip. Last year, we helped to purchase land in Zambia to be used to construct a compound for the Methodist Church in that nation. It will also be used as a training center for SIFAT, an Alabama based ministry which teaches appropriate technology in third world nations. Our team will help to construct a wall around the new Methodist center. Another mission team will travel to Bolivia where they will be digging wells, teaching people how to build stoves, and working with children. International mission trips can be life transforming in helping persons move beyond their comfort zones. If you would like to travel with Jesus and our team to Zambia or Bolivia this summer, contact Dave Barnhart. 

In Matthew 24, Jesus invites us to join him in his ministry to the least of these. We as a church, take serious that mandate to be a part of what Jesus is doing to heal and redeem the world. 

February 2, 2010

Feb. 1, 2010

Back in January, we took a survey. We asked you some questions, actually a lot of questions, about how we are doing, what we do well, and what we need to do better. 511 of you responded. Here are some things we learned:

• 54% of you are under the age of 45
• The greatest number of you (63%) typically attend the 8:45 AM service
• 89% agreed that all of the elements of our worship services (music, prayers, sermons, bulletins, visuals) were good
• On improving worship, we had responses like: sing more hymns we know, and sing more new hymns! Most of you could think of no ways in which we need to improve our worship. 
• 70% of you attend Sunday School 3-4 times a month
• 65% of you were involved in some outreach/mission project last year
• 46% of the men have participated in one of our Trinity Men’s events
• The main reasons people love Trinity are: 1) worship 2) relationships 3) general sense of vitality 4) small group or Sunday School
• 76% have heard of our prayer ministry and 53% use the weekly prayer list
• You told us that Trinity excels at children’s ministry, youth ministry, music, missions, preaching, and lay involvement
• 86% told us that we do welcoming and hospitality better than other churches
• The single most memorable service/events you attended were: A Night in Bethlehem, Christmas Eve Services, Holy Week Services, and Alpha
• 63% of you who have children, believe our children’s program needs no improvement!
• The perception of Trinity in the wider community is positive, friendly, active and growing
• Some “holes” and areas given for improvement: single’s ministry, college ministry, and support groups

There are lots of other specific responses and ideas that we are looking at from the survey. Overall, the thing we learned is that most of you feel we are doing well. In this kind of anonymous survey, people have the opportunity to complain, list pet peeves, and get issues off their chest. We received very little of that. You provided us with very useful feedback that we are using to build a stronger Body of Christ. 

Thank you for taking the time to tell us how we are doing and what we need to be doing!

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