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.