a glimpse towards Sunday 2.7.14
Like so many in Atlanta, I was caught in Snowjam 2014 for twenty-two ding dang hours. I drove nine and a half hours to go a ridiculous four miles. My daughter, Lauren, and I were trying to rescue my first born, Brooklynn. She was hopelessly stranded at Life University. We drove ZERO miles per hour. Our progress was measured in feet and inches. At one point, Lauren got out of the car, walked into a RaceTrac, used the bathroom, and bought water and gummy worms. When she returned to my car, I had moved a painstaking five yards. I was thankful for the water and gummy worms. Lauren and I wondered if we should ration for survival.
About a quarter mile from Life University, we parked the car and hoofed the remaining way. The three of us spent the night on hard cement floors in a warm, Life University gymnasium. For that we were grateful.
As Lauren and I were held captive in my Camry for hours, I remember saying, “If we could just move five miles per hour, I’d be happy, happy, happy.” Three days later the temps were above fifty, and the roads were absolutely clear. I was stuck on I-285 in another traffic jam slowing me to a mere thirty-five MPH’s. I couldn’t believe how impatient I had become in record time removed from the great snowpocalypse. My broken humanness never ceases to amaze me. I can learn and forget lessons so incredibly fast.
One week later, an abandoned bag of sour gummy worms begs me to consider lessons learned. Have I equipped my Camry with a survival kit? Nope. Didn’t I learn that lesson the hard way? Yep. What is wrong with me?
Last night I had a mind-blowing time at the Cobb County jail. One young man’s father had been murdered. Another was from LA, and had been in and out of jail since he was fourteen. I talked with Joe. He was twenty-one, and serving time for his third DUI in three years. The stories continued with eight inmates struggling from charges attached to drugs and alcohol. They are learning hard lessons. Statistics say many will return to the blue stripes soon after their release.
Why don’t we learn? How can life-altering lessons be applied and so quickly forgotten?
On Sunday, we’ll be unloading a lesson that isn’t just central to our faith, IT IS our faith. Mark 16:1-18 puts a white-hot spotlight on the resurrection. It IS our survival kit. We’ll make the resurrection as clear and practical as possible. We’ll do awesome things with communion and baptism to help us never forget (some might want to bring your swimsuits). God help us not to forget.
Let’s gather on Sunday. 9 & 11 a.m. It’s gonna be good. I’m excited to teach. Please consider bringing someone with you. Without the resurrection, nothing we do or believe makes much sense!
Blessings,
P.S. – Don’t forget… FEBRUARY 16TH… we’ll be gathering at Smyrna First Baptist at 9:30 and 11 a.m.
Weekly Giving | 02/02/2014
$27,474.59
Weekly Need $29,000.00
