Ambassador Presbyterian Church

Here are pictures that I took today. Enjoy!

(Click on images for larger view.)

Don't worry, that column will be upright before we move in.

The View from the Soundbooth

7.19.09 Tech Committee Meeting

The tech committee meeting yesterday was a great opportunity for me to step in to the new building…especially since the last time I was on site, there was nothing to step in to.  But now there are walls!…and a roof!

It’s so exciting to see the location begin to take shape.  If you find yourself with a few minutes to stop by a take a look, I say go for it!

Well, so much for frequent blog posts. We’ve just returned to Apex after being away for three weeks and it’s good to be home. After our mission trip to Mexico, we joined my whole family at Fripp Island (our favorite beach) in S.C. Over the years I’ve developed what I call a “theology of place” which is to say that there are certain places where God ministers to my soul simply by my being there in that place. Our week with family at Fripp Island is one of those places. We have been going there for over 20 years, and it reminds me of Rivendell in J.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, a place of beauty, peace, and retreat. Although our time there was filled with activities, it is always a refreshing week.

After Fripp, we stayed on in Beaufort for a week to spend time with my mom and dad. As many of you know, my mom’s health is in rapid decline with a rare brain disease similar to Alzheimers. She has lost almost all motor functions and her ability to communicate is very limited. How thankful I am to God and to my church family Ambassador for allowing me the chance to spend this week with her. There were special moments that I will cherish forever, like singing some of her favorite songs and “dancing” with her which consisted of helping her stand up and then swinging our arms together and shuffling our feet. My mom loved to dance, and these short but sweet encounters were a reminder of life’s little joys. Her faith and grace in the midst of suffering and utter dependence will always remind me of my own total dependence and trust in God. It was also a time to encourage and spend time with my dad who has loved my mom faithfully for almost sixty years and continues to do so. In a day when vows to love for better or worse, in sickness and health are cast aside like so many empty promises, I’m thankful for my parent’s model of faithful love to the end, a love rooted in God’s grace.

While we were with my parents, Cathy and I spent a good deal of time going through boxes of old papers and records that had accumulated over the years. Talk about a walk through history! There were letters and accounts from my great grandparents dated in the 1870’s. There were handwritten letters from my grandmother to my grandfather and from my dad to his parents during his first year of college. There were pictures from all these periods including many of family members I only knew by name. We came across a note from my grandmother to my mom written on the day I was born. It was truly a magical history tour for us. It also reminded me of the value of the written word. In our day of electronic communication, we can stay in touch almost instantaneously, but will there be a record of our lives for our grandchildren and great grandchildren to go through. Will anyone read our blog posts or emails 150 years from now? Will they even exist other than in some distant server in Silicon Valley or RTP? Maybe they will. But holding those original handwritten letters, untouched and unedited, opened up a glimpse into the lives of those who came before me that made me think of Hebrews 11 & 12. I’m hope to resharpen my pen and paper skills.

It’s good to be back at home, and I look forward to being back in worship with our church family this Sunday.

We had the opportunity this past week to go rafting and camping in the mountains together as a family. After a full day of running the rapids, we found a wonderful camp site beside a beautiful mountain stream. As, I sat by the campfire early on a chilly morning, there in front of me stood a tall tree sitting alone on a very small island cut out of the bank. I wondered how such a large tree could grow on such a small patch of ground with rushing water constantly flowing on all sides. The trees roots have obviously grown deep in the fertile, well-watered ground and thus it stands strong and tall, branches bursting green with life. I couldn’t help but think of Psalm 1 where God speaks of the blessed man whose delight is in God’s Word. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water.”

The first week of my sabbatical has been one of adjustment. The past twelve years I’ve been on the rapidly flowing river of pastoral ministry which has brought countless moments of great joy as well as a few opportunities to simply hang on and ride it out. To step off of that river and onto the bank to rest, to reflect on God’s beauty, power, creativity, and goodness and to sink the roots of my heart deeper into his grace and love in Christ has taken time. I feel a bit like Martha, trying to set her cooking and cleaning aside to sit with Mary at Jesus’ feet. Not an easy task, but much needed. That morning by the stream was a turning point of sorts, a move off the river to be planted by the stream of God’s everflowing grace. I’m eternally grateful to my church family for allowing me time to further rooted and growing in Christ. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to what God has in store in the coming weeks.

For the past ten years, I have preached from the New International Version (NIV) translation of the bible.  My reason for this was two fold.  First, since it came out in the late 70’s, the NIV has probably been the most widely read and memorized bible translation by evangelical Christians because of its easy readability.  It was the first bible I owned and used most during my early years of spiritual growth, and I knew it would likely be the one which most people in a young church like ours would be familiar with.  Secondly, the more literal translations (I’ll explain this in a moment) such as the New American Standard (NAS) or New King James (NKJ) which I often use in my study and preparation are at times awkward or even archaic in their expressions and thus come across to many as difficult to read or understand. 

Over the last couple of years, I’ve become more familiar with the English Standard Version (ESV) which came out a few years ago billed as more literal (than say the NIV) yet more readable (than say the NAS of NKJ), and over those years has received commendation from other pastors and theologians whose opinions I respect.   At the start of this new year, I am going to start using the ESV as opposed to the NIV on Sunday mornings.  
Why a different translation?  As most of you probably know, the bible was originally written in Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT), and the versions we have in our native languages (ie: English) are translations from the originals.  We who speak English are blessed to have many translations available to us, but that is also cause for greater understanding and discernment of the differences.  

Translations range from what we call formal equivalent or word-for-word translations which seek to adhere to the wording and order of the original documents, to dynamic equivalent or thought-for-thought translations which sometimes replace original words or phrases with more modern equivalents, to paraphrases which try to capture the essence of the originals using modern colloquial expressions.  All translations fall somewhere on that spectrum with the NAS being a good example of a formal equivalent translation, the NIV being a good example of a dynamic equivalent translation, and the Living Bible or the Message being an example of a more straight-forward paraphrase translation.   The first is optimal for in-depth study, the second seeks to blend the best of both and the third is more conducive to personal devotional use but would lack the needed correspondence with the originals for accurate study, teaching or preaching.   For a good overview and review of some different translations see this article.  
The ESV lies between the NIV and the NAS on that translation spectrum, favoring a more literal word-for-word translation like the NAS, while seeking to retain the readability of the NIV and capture the poetic beauty of the older versions such as the KJV.   For that reason, I hope a switch to the ESV in the coming year will further inspire our love for God’s word and satisfy our hunger for God’s truth.  

On Sunday December 9th, the group formerly known as the “young marrieds” bible study (currently looking for a new name) gathered at the Clark’s beautiful house for their annual Christmas party.

There was lots of food – which Link greatly enjoyed!

Ayla and Lincoln.

The anticipated White Elephant exchange. There were some well fought over items such as the Superman kit, a decorative shelf and the “Goonies” movie. Of course, there were the not so desirable gifts…sorry about the Barry Manilow tape Dan…

The very funny end times poster…fit right in with the most recent discussion in bible study.

Well, Ambassador Presbyterian Church is not actually going to Hollywood, but one of our own has already been there and is going back. 

As many of you know Link Neal, along with his friend Rhett McLaughlin, have been making waves on the internet with their videos, podcasts, and funny songs.   Their talent and humor has caught the eye of those in the entertainment industry, and they are going to be hosting a new national TV series on CW Network called “Online Nation” which debuts this Sunday, September 23^rd at 7:00 pm.   I’m writing this for two reasons. 

First, I’m sure Link would want you to know about the “preview party” this Sunday at 6:00 pm in Garner, open to all fans.  There will BBQ, music and of course watching the preview together.  You can get info and RSVP to that at their website at www.rhettandlink.com.  If you haven’t been there, you can check out some of their creative work as well.  

The second reason I’m writing is to reflect for a minute on this opportunity from a biblical perspective.  As I’ve been studying 1^st Corinthians for our Sunday morning series, two themes which are prominent in that letter are the idea of calling and gifting.   God calls us into a relationship with himself through the grace of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (1 Cor. 1:9).  God also gifts us with all kinds of gifts to be used for his glory (1 Cor. 1:7).  Then, interestingly enough, God brings those two things together in our lives by “calling us” into various vocations and circumstances where our calling and gifts can be used to magnify the glory and greatness of God (1 Cor. 10:31).  

Link and Rhett have been given an opportunity to work in what some believers might consider “the lions den” that is Hollywood and the entertainment industry.  But appropriately, it was God who called (literally sent) Daniel, a young Jewish man, into the service of a pagan king in a very pagan culture.   Daniel, by God’s grace and power and through the use of his gifts, rose to prominence and had a profound impact for God’s kingdom, despite the temptations and trials that literally had him facing lions. 

Having spoken with Link and Christy about these amazing developments in their life, I know they see these opportunities before him as a chance to glorify God by doing what he does well and by being in a strategic place where his work and their life together may open doors for the gospel.  We need to be praying for the Neals to have Daniel-like faith and courage and Christ-like grace and truth, as God opens those doors. 

At the same time, it is a good reminder that God has called and gifted each and everyone of us with similar opportunities wherever He has placed us, in the workplace, in our homes, in different roles in our lives.  May we be praying for each other to “do all that we do” for His glory, wherever that may be.  For God who has called you is faithful.