Gritty Comics

When I started reading comics over twenty years ago, there was a trend to make very character more "realitsic" by making them go through some sort of trial. Superman died and came back, Batman broke his back, Aquaman loses a hand, and Green lantern went crazy. These are just a few characters that went through some change to engage new readers. While change can be a good thing, sometimes it can go to far,and people will long for the days of yester year. In comics none of these changes stuck. In church, change will happen, but we have to make sure we keep the things that bring us close to God.

Inspiring lives- John Ward

John Ward was a professional baseball pitcher in the late 1800s. He was a bit if a trouble maker in his life. he had a few run ins with the law. When he retired from baseball, he graduated from law school and became a lawyer. he began to fight for the rights of other baseball players in labor disputes. John Ward and Abraham shows us that no matter how old we are God still has plans for us.Abraham fathered the nation of Israel when many of us would be in a nursing home. God can still do great things with us no matter what.

Love Dare for Parents- Love honors authority

Reflect on your own attitudes about authority in your own life. If the Lord exposes any wrong doing in your heart, confess it and ask for forgiveness. Talk to your children about the importance of honoring God by honoring authority.




A Clip on Authority

Prayers-Pateince

Bestow on me, O Lord, a genial spirit and unwearied forbearance; a mild, loving, patient, heart; kindly looks, pleasant speech,and cordial manners in the exchanges of daily life; that I may give offence to no one, but as much as in me lies live in charity with all men.   Amen

Sermon Update Reflections

In the sermon this week we talked about how we should reflect God's grace and goodness. Many of us may look at ourselves in a mirror, and feel we are peering into one of those Circus mirrors. We see ourselves, but we see ourselves distorted from who we really are. We may see ourselves as ugly and imperfect. That is not how God sees us, he always sees us as perfect.

Love Dare for Parents

Day One
Words are a powerful way to communicate love. Find a moment when  you can simply verbally express your love to your children.Whether they are in your house or reachable by phone, if it is possible make sure they hear you say the words.

"This my commandment, that you love one another."- John 15:12

Sermon Uodate- He's Coming for you

    I am a big fan of the show How I Met Your Mother. The show's premise is a man (Ted) is telling his teenage children the story of how he met their mother. The show ran for nine seasons, and throughout the show's tenure there were many theories on just who the mother may be.The woman in questions turned out be a bystander in the story line of the show. Someone who was there in the background for many of the show's twists and turns.
      As stated in our sermon last Sunday, we may feel we are bit players in this life. However, like the blind man in the story form the Gospel of John, we can give a testimony that is life changing. There is no one in the background to God, we are all front and center in His eyes. We have His complete attention, and He will make us stars.

Inspiring lives- Grandma Prisbey

   Anyone can make something great for a million dollars. Look at Disneyland and the latest ballparks for examples. It is something very miraculous to make something of value out of nothing. "Grandma" Tressa Prisbey was a woman who had suffered many hardships in life. From spousal abuse, to poverty, to the deaths of six of her seven children, she had gone throughout all. She decided to celebrate she was still here. She wanted to make a statement that no matter how used up you feel, you can still be used for something beautiful.
   She created "Bottle City" in California. A "City" made of complete junk. There is a leaning tower of old bottles, a doll's head shrine, and a central walkway that is a mosaic made of old TV picture tubes. The city was so remarkable it was made a National Landmark in 1996. We read stories like Abraham and Sarah in the Bible, and we think God can not use us like that. Abraham and Sarah were old and long past child-bearing years.  However, God made them the "Father and Mother" of the nation of Israel. While Abraham and Sarah may have been "used up" people, they are no different from us. Bottle City is a testament to the fact, God does not make junk. We all have a purpose, no matter how we feel about ourselves.

Opening Day

     For most of baseball, March 31st was opening Day. It is a day very unique to the Sport's world. Even though Football has surpassed Baseball in popularity, Opening Day is still looked on with awe and wonder. It is a day where every fan base in Baseball has hope. That this year will be better than last year. Every team on Opening Day is undefeated, so for one glorious day every fan can say that their team is the best.
    Hope is an awesome thing, it can move mountains and do miracles. As pastors, we say "in certain Hope of the Resurrection" a lot. This phrase means we can trust our Resurrection from the dead (going to Heaven) because Jesus rose from the dead. We can put our hopes in many things, and we can lose hope in many things. We will never lose our hope in Christ or His power to forgive.

Reflections- Clutter

Some call it clutter;
I Call it life.
Countless things collected over the years, making it hard to squeeze them into a small house.
How do I decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to throw away?
Somethings are little snippets of life, claiming a special place in my heart.
Faded greeting cards, my grandmother's vase;
Seashells from the Caribbean, my child's first report card;
Other things are just scattered here and there,stockpile in drawers and cabinets.
Lord, I do not need all of this stuff I once thought I had to have,but it is not easy to let it go.
Keep me from being burdened down with stacks and piles of who knows what.
Help me to sort through the clutter and remember that the things of this world are only temporary.
Show me how to lighten my load, knowing my eternal inheritance awaits.
-Missy Buchanan
 

Inspriartional Lives- Jim Kelly

Today a man is near death. His name is Jim Kelly. He was the quarterback for Buffalo Bills during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is one of my brother's heroes. His life is marked by triumph and tragedy. He is laying in a hospital bed stricken with cancer, and may not make it until the end of the week. He has left a legacy. This is a time where we can ask what legacy do we leave behind? We are called as Christians to make an impact, to let people there is something different about us. Jim Kelly is a prime example of that.

Ryan Leaf

We can fear the unknown. We can put off decisions or not make them at all because we do not want to choose poorly. I recently heard an interview with a former President of the San Diego Chargers football team. He made the infamous decision of drafting Ryan Leaf. He was one of the biggest busts in NFL history. This interview I heard a man who was till haunted by that decision, even though it was over 15 years ago.

Christ states in John 10:10 that He has come to give us life and life to the full. If we choose what Christ's wants in our life, compassion, love, justice, we do not have to worry about the consequences of those choices. Christ directs only to what is right. We do not have to fear choosing poorly when it comes to Christ's commands.

Prayers For Fellowship

Around the Table
 


Above the muffled conversation, there is a gentle clattering of rolling carts and ice in glasses.
It is lunch time, and I am grateful for this time of fellowship and food.

Once strangers now friends, we sit around the table, bringing different tastes acquired over decades of life experiences.

Too much pepper. Not enough. Too sweet. Too sour. Just right.

Around the table, we are community, where relationships are more important than food.

It is here that we exchange bragging rights about a granddaughter's new job or a nephew's award.

Here we share laughter and stories, aches and pains.

Some of us wear over-sized bibs around our necks, a practical solution to spills and such.

We are Baptists and Methodists, Catholics and evangelicals, and some who have rarely darkened a church door.

But around the table, no one is impressed by denominational platitude. We are simply sojourners together.

The table is a place of connectedness where someone notices and cares if you are not there.

O God, you have made us a people who crave relationships.

You have made us hungry for love and respect, no matter our age.

And you have given us a healthy appetite for you.


Amen

-Missy Buchanan

Fred Hembeck

I was 12 years old. My best friend James and I headed over to The Corner Magazine Shop on West Broad Street in Norwich New York. My daily stop there usually involved a pack of Nerds Candy and a Welch's Grape Soda. For some reason this day James took me past the candy and soda, and he led me to the Comic Book racks. I have gone to this store for years, but never gave these books a second thought. James pulled a couple off the racks while I looked around. One caught my eye, It was entitled "Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe".
    I did not know it at the time, but Hmebeck was a well known satirical cartoonist with a love for comics. In the pages of this book he systematically destroyed every Villain and Hero Marvel ever made. I gladly laid down my dollar, and thus my very first (of thousands) comic books was bought. I recently bought a hand drawn sketch of Hembeck's to remember that Comic Book and the life long hobby it started.
     We always remember our firsts. Our first day at school, our first car, our first love, and so on. The Apostle Paul repeated many times the first time he met Jesus.Of all the firsts we remember in life, this first should be the most important. Tell Your friends, family, and neighbors as often as you can when the first time you knew Jesus Christ's love for you. Of all the memories we have to share, this one should be the most important.

Sermon- Choices

Life is about choices. Sometimes we can choose between something we know is bad and something that is good. Other times we have to choose between what seems to be good and what seems to be good. The Apostles had this issue when they were deciding between two people to replace Judas. They looked to God and cast lots, and God directed them to Mathias. We get to see three doors like on Let's Make a Deal. However, God knows what behind each door, so we can trust Him to lead us to what is best.

Introduction

This Blog is a collection. I am a collector. I love baseball cards and comic books. I also love autographs and movies. This blog will be a collection of thoughts, articles,photos, and videos. The goal is to have a weekly update. Some of this collection will be relevant to Sermon topics and Bible studies. Some of this content will be just for your own amusement or my own amusement. Check it out, it will be fun I promise!