October 14, 2008

October 14, 2008

Good Moanin' Springfieldians,

Recently, at the urging of Teri and a few other people, I decided to put together a collection of my stories and submit them as a devotional book, which I entitled "Good Moanin'. Imagine that? I knew I enjoyed telling the stories, and others have told me the have enjoyed listening to them or reading them, so I thought, "Why not, what's to lose?"

I submitted them to one publishing house and I received a very polite rejection letter, but the editor said that while she enjoyed my stories they did not really fit into the categories of the books they publish. She then suggested that I submit them to a service call The Writers' Edge.

She informed me that most Christian publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts but they work through this service. This is a group of editors and former editors who evaluate whether they believe your book is publishable and if there's a market for it. They give encouragement and constructive criticism. If they believe that your book has potential they will then present a short synopsis to about 90 different Christian publishers, with your contact information. If any of those publishers are interested they will contact you and ask to see your work. It cost around $100 to have them do this evaluation.

So, swimming hard against the stream of cheapness which courses through me, I wrote the check and submitted my "Good Moanin'" stories. What do you know, I received a letter back from Reviewer #7, who told me he or she liked my work, that he/she had laughed out loud a number of times and I had a good style and tone to my writing; and that "Good Moanin'" would be included in their list, which they would send out in October to the different publishers.

I tell you all of that to tell you what happened yesterday. Mondays are my day off, and usually they are filled with chores from my honey-do list. And depending on the Monday, and whether there is sunshine in my soul or dark clouds rolling in, I may or may not check my e-mail. There are some Mondays when I just don't want to have to deal with anything that might come through my e-mail, so I take a day off from even looking at them. If you don't see them, they can't cause your stomach to churn.

Yesterday was not one of those days. In the midst of my activities I took a few seconds to check my e-mail. I read Ray Hofman's devotional, which is always a great way to start my day. I deleted a few junk e-mails. I read a not-so-funny-joke which comes from one of those joke-of-the-day places. I scanned through the list of other e-mails waiting to be opened.

One in particular caught my eye. In fact, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. You see, I hadn't really thought there would be much interest in stories about a guy and his family, who no one knows, and the weird things they go through. So, I really wasn't expecting to hear from any publisher. But as my eyes went down the list of those unopened e-mails there was one that caught my attention. It was from Cross House Publishing. It didn't matter to me that I had never heard of them. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I thought, "Could it be? Could it possibly be? Is someone really interested in reading my stories?" There was a very pregnant pause before I opened the e-mail. In fact, I allowed the dream machine in my mind to kick into high gear. In the nation of imagination I could just see my book being published and hundreds, maybe thousands, shoot the dream machine was in high gear, maybe millions would read all those weird little stories.

My heart was beating faster. I was really getting excited. Should I open the e-mail? Should I wait until Teri came home, so we could share the joy to together? Should I plan a celebration dinner? I don't like to admit this, but I even let out a joyous shout of "Yes!! Whoo!! Whoo!!" I decided I couldn't wait for Teri; I just had to open it and see what kind of publishing deal they were going to offer the next Max Lucado.

I opened the e-mail, and much to my chagrin and my embarrassment, it was simply an advertisement from Cross House Publishing, which they had sent out as a mass e-mail promoting themselves and their products. Talk about the air being let out of your balloon.

Oh well, It was fun to dream.

But I got to thinking, how do we handle real disappointments that come our way? I've heard way too many people with a weariness in their voice talk about what they almost did, almost accomplished, or almost completed.

"I almost made the big leagues."

"I almost got that dream job."

"I almost started my own business."

It's as if they have never moved forward from that moment of almost, and the almost is still controlling them. And I've heard others with a great sadness talk about others, using that ugly six letter word.

"He almost got it together."

"They almost worked it out."

"She/He almost decided not to leave and almost decided to give it another shot."

"He almost became a Christian."

We're told about one guy in Scripture that used that nasty little word in Scripture. (Well, he used it if he was speaking in King James Version language.) Paul was standing trial before King Agrippa. Paul told his own story of meeting Jesus. He told of how Jesus was the promised Messiah and how Jesus was resurrected from the dead. He challenged King Agrippa by asking, "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do." (Acts 26:27)

And then the king responded by saying, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28 KJV)

If you've ever been disappointed in life; if you've disappointed yourself, or have been disappointed by another; if the job didn't come through or the promise was broken  don't be like Agrippa and say, "I almost came to Jesus." If the disappointment has caused a great weariness to settle in on you, realize you don't have to get stuck at the point of almost. Remember Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

Don't ever let it be said about you, "You almost came to Jesus."

Did You Know???

The Prime Time Dinner is tonight, Tuesday, October 14th. A Weiner Roast is the order of the night. It will be held at the Rochester Community Park. Hot Dogs, buns, condiments, drinks marshmallows and table service will all be provided. Bring a side dish or dessert, you lawn chair, a hot dog stick, and a friend. Here are the directions: Go east on Stevenson Drive over the dam and follow the road until you get to the sign to "Rochester" (Old Rochester Road) and turn left (east). Just follow that road (go through the stop light) and you will see the sign for the park on the left side of the road just past an old stone building and before the cemetary. It is very easy to find. If you get to Rochester you have gone too far.

The October church board meeting was changed to this Thursday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m. The Finance Committee will meet ahead of the board meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the pastor's office.

A very special thank you to Gloria Sanguedolce and all of her crew for making the Pumpkin Fest such a smashing success. We had more people than ever before and more new people joined in the fun. What a fun way to introduce people to our church! Thank you to Ivan Fink's cousin who donated all of those great pumpkins. There are a few pumpkins left that anyone can have for any amount donation to Children's Ministry. See Gloria Sanguedolce if you're interested in picking up an extra pumpkin.

Congratulations to Kim Barrington and the Karate Class. This marks their five year anniversary of ministry at our church. Last Saturday Trish Barrington and Sheila Leggett earned the rank of Black Belt, and Zach Barrington and Deb Crawford earned their Brown Belts. Way to go!!

Season of Celebration Gathering  Next Wednesday October 22, at 6:15 p.m. Pastor Jay will be sharing his story of rescue and redemption from a tough home situation. This is for the entire church: kids, teens and adults. We want everyone to attend. The following six weeks will be special prayer gatherings on Wednesday evening as we pray for others to be redeemed and rescued. This will be for all teens and adults. Caravan, for our kids, will continue for these six weeks.

Spiritual Leadership for Men- All men are invited to be a part of a Small Group meeting on Thursday evenings, beginning October 23rd, from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

There will be an All-Church Pastor Appreciation Reception on Sunday evening October 26th at 6:00 p.m. in the gym. You are asked to bring a plate of sandwiches, salad or dessert to share.

The next Blood Drive is October 22, call Pat Fowler at 529-9597 for an appointment, and avoid having to wait in line. They are so appreciative of you being willing to give what's in your heart.

Karen Rheude has a brown lift chair/recliner she would be happy to donate to whoever might need it. You can contact her at church or at rheudek@earthlink.net.

Wednesday Night Connection classes which meets at 6:15 p.m. right after our family dinner. This week's dinner menu is: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread, Mixed Fruit.

Kidz Express on Wednesday evenings from 6:00  6:15 p.m. will be a time of games and activities before the start of Caravan. Gloria Sanguedolce is planning great times for the kids.

We are in need of some more volunteers to help staff the nursery both on Sundays and especially on Wednesdays. It may come to the place where we can not offer this important ministry to families if there are not some more volunteers.

This coming Sunday, October 19, our wonderful nursery volunteers are: Susie Jaynes with the infants; and Robin Buchanan and Nikki Leggett with the toddlers, and Zachary Shepherdson as the floater. This Wednesday, October 8, the nursery will be staffed by Mindy Palmer and Brytani Young. Thank you!

Keep using GoodSearch.com, we've earned $27.67 for the year 2008. Remember this is a search engine very similar to Google. You just type in goodsearch.com and then you are able to use it as you would Google or other search engines.

ADULT MINISTRIES

The next Prime Time Dinner is tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the large pavilion at Rochester Community Park on Old Rochester Road.

Coffeehouse Comedy will be held on November 8th and 9th, 6:30 p.m. both nights. Be sure and invite your friends as this is always a great night to enjoy wonderful desserts and delicious coffees and teas.

CHILDREN MINISTRIES

Upward Basketball sign-up will be on Saturday, October 25 from 7:30 a.m.  12:30 p.m. Referees and coaches are needed for this season. Contact Rob Young to help out.

TEEN MINISTRY

Momentum this Friday, 7  11 PM! We had about 228 teens last Friday. If you missed it, make sure you come this Friday!

Teen Girls' Bible Study  will meet on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m., at Sue Bagley's home (327 Osteen, Chatham) All teen girls are invited for the fellowship and Bible study.

PRAYER REQUESTS....

Those listed in Sunday's bulletin

Lynette Heppe

Renee Gallaher's mother  begins radiation treatments this week

Ty Miller (Nancy Prillaman's grandson)