The Long Journey Home

I’ll never forget the time that my dad took my older brother, sister, and me into the Rocky Mountains on a wilderness, survival trip.  I was only about 10 years old at the time, and it wasn’t really my idea of fun.  I would much rather have spent the weekend at a theme park, but my dad is an outdoors man.  He loves camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, just about anything in the wild and wanted to share that passion with his children, even if we were less than excited. 

For Dad the harsher the conditions the better, but he knows enough not to wander into unknown territory without a guide.  He hired this guide named Ernest to lead our trip.  Ernest was a real mountain man. He lived in the mountains and knew the terrain like the back of his hand.  He looked exactly like one would expect from a mountain man. He was a burly man, with a thick beard, and leathered skin and wore animal skins as his clothing.  His cabin walls were covered with the heads of once living creatures; trophies of his conquest over nature.  

He led us into the mountains with very little gear.  And deep in the wilderness, Ernest showed us how to build snow caves to sleep in, to make a fire without matches, how to track and trap animals, how to survive in the wild.  It was a bit like the show survivor, but in the mountains and without a tribal council.  Of course, all that my sister and I could think about was getting back to Grandma and Grandpa’s warm house to have a hot cup of coco, but we were stuck.

It was good that we had Ernest with us, we were only in the mountains for three days, but it snowed over three feet over those three days.  Without a guide to lead us, we might have never found our way back home again.  We could have ended up as one of those terrible news stories that people talk about for months.  But, Ernest knew the way and led us out of the mountains back home again. 

It would be foolish to embark on a difficult, treacherous journey into unknown territory without a guide and yet, people do it all the time.  People all around us attempt to make it through this life’s journey without a guide who knows how to survive the wilderness and can lead us back home. Come this Sunday as we discover the only guide that can truly lead us on this Long Journey Home.

Ave Maria

Pastor Kelcie sang this during our Service of the Nativity yesterday... it was a powerful moment in worship for me. This is one of the most beautiful renditions I've heard. I just thought I would share. 

"The angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.'" ~ Luke 1:30-33, NRSV

The Sound of Hope

One of the most powerful Christmas songs ever written “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” was penned by the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Christmas of 1860 was a truly blessed time in the Longfellow house.  Henry, Fanny and their five children spent the time at their beautiful home in Cambridge.  It was a Kodak moment.  But, everything changed that year.  Fanny was killed in a tragic fire, the country was in the middle of civil war, and their oldest son was crippled in the war. That year he wrote in his journal, “How inexpressibly sad are the holidays.  A merry Christmas’ say the children, but there is no more for me.”  And then he heard the church bells ringing and wrote these words:

 

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

 

Till, ringing singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

 

God is not dead!  Light and love will overcome the darkness.  The Kingdom will come.  As we journey through the wilderness, may we be a people who walk in the Way of peace, promise, and joy – knowing that in the end love wins.  I pray that your holiday is filled with something much better than presents – I pray that it is filled with God’s Presence.

ROC Stories

What a great testimony from one of our Vine Ladies:

The Rest of the Story

An interesting perspective on a well known Biblical story offered by Malcolm Gladwell.

Real Love

This has to be one of the best examples of genuine love that I've seen in a while... what a blessing.

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St. Darrell Watkins

They heard a loud noise that sounded like gun fire and suddenly the back window in their van shattered.  They probably wondered what in the world they were doing touring the 10^th Street community with veteran Greenvale teacher Marilyn Denson.  But upon further inspection, they realized that it was actually a battery which was thrown through their window, likely from one of the teens left to roam the streets.  As they surveyed the broken pieces lying all over the floor, God began to break their hearts for the lost and hurting people of our community.  From that moment on, Darrell and Jo Watkins poured themselves out in service and sacrifice for the Kingdom through Reaching Our City ministries.

Darrell Watkins passed away on July, 26^th 2013.  He was a founding member of the ROC Church and a longtime board member of Reaching Our City, Inc.  We will deeply miss his presence in this place, but his fingerprints are everywhere.  Darrell spent numerous hours making this old warehouse into a ministry center.  He put up several walls, built the shelves in the food pantry, helped lay the floors, and built the altars where hundreds have wept, prayed, and encountered Christ over the years. He also constructed the cross that sets in the center of our worship space, which clearly symbolizes his cross-shaped life. 

He saw beyond the dirt, the pigeons, and the imperfections of this old warehouse in those early days and with a deep faith knew that God could turn it into something beautiful, into something holy.  He often told me, after worshipping with our diverse congregation, that our old gym became a beautiful cathedral for him.  Not only did he help us build a building, but Darrell invested deeply in restoring the lives of broken people.  It is only fitting that this retired Airman would help us turn a warehouse where they used to build airplane parts into a space that gives people wings of hope. 

Darrell often shared his testimony of God’s healing presence in his life.  Several years before ROC began; God miraculously healed Darrell from cancer.  From that moment on he had a renewed sense of mission, which ultimately led him to participate in ROC ministries.  He wanted others to know God’s healing presence in their lives.  Through Darrell’s work and testimony, ROC has become a healing place for countless people in our community. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Heb. 12:1-2a NIV)  Darrell is one of my faith heroes.  ROC is here because of the people of faith like Darrell Watkins who have given themselves fully to the mission of God in this community.  He has taken his place among the great cloud of witnesses who marked the way and are cheering us on today.  And we are confident of this, that the One who began a good work here will carry it on to completion.