the new bulletin

Hi. In case you have not noticed, or if you have missed church the last few weeks, our new bulletin has a place where members can sponsor the publication.

Maybe our pastor has finally gone crazy. Or, maybe there is a back story and some compelling reasons why we are here. At any rate, if this has bothered you, tomorrow I am going to be telling the rest of the story.

Pastor Shawn is going to preach tomorrow [this way you know it will be a good sermon] I am going to be in the library at 8, 905, 1010, 1115 and 1215 to sit and explain this to anyone who would like to hear about how this came to be.

I love you very much.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Today is Blog Action Day

The following post is by Erin Swanson, who attends Woods Chapel ::

Who am I? Well, I commonly refer to myself as the prodigal violist, who makes sporadic appearances each month at the 10:10 Branch service at Woods Chapel. When I do so, I have the immense pleasure and blessing of helping lead worship with Megan Hobbs and team.

Jeff offered to let me guest post today because it’s one of the biggest days on the web: Blog Action Day. This year’s topic: water.

I’ve had the privilege of working on the team at Water.org for more than two years — a Kansas City-based international nonprofit that helps bring safe water and sanitation to those in need in developing countries. We seem to be a best kept secret in KC, but have been leaders in the sector for 20 years and are co-founded by Matt Damon and KC-local Gary White. As you can imagine, water is near and dear to my heart and thoughts each day.

[My first trip to visit Water.org project sites this past February in Dhaka, Bangladesh.]

One of the reasons I’m most excited right now has to do with you, my church family! This Advent season, Woods Chapel is going to participate in Advent Conspiracy, a neat time for our community to focus on being a part of a clean water project that will transform thousands of lives and simultaneously answer the call, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” [Matt. 25:35]. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holidays.

The area that we are going to support together is the two rural communities of Pignon and St. Raphael in rural Haiti. This project will give 60 communities, totaling 18,000 people [!], clean water, toilets, and health and hygiene education for the first time!! Water.org just began to work there a few months ago with our well-respected partner organization, Haiti Outreach, but the program desperately behind in funding. And as you know, Haiti was in dire conditions even before the quake.


[Hard to stomach, but a water reality in Haiti, pre-quake. No one's child should have to drink this!]

Another reason I am so excited is because I believe whole-heartedly in the way Water.org implements projects. I’ve learned a lot over the past few years, and one of the main things is that good and lasting work takes time. Sadly, water projects in the developing world have a more than 50 percent failure rate because of people who just want to dig a well - they swoop in, drill a well, and leave. You know what they say about the road to good intentions….

In our mind, if it’s not sustainable, it’s not worth doing. To make this a reality, our focus is on local partners and community ownership. Over the past two decades, we’ve worked closely with more than 640,000 people all around the globe to help them get safe water and sanitation for the first time.

To me, this model resonates with God’s character, and has been a main way my faith has been able to express itself in tangible ways here on our earth. I’ve become really passionate about educating others of the importance of knowing exactly how work to help others is done, the importance of being good stewards with our money [knowing what it’s going towards], and how to make the most impact. The HOW matters. The how has lasting affects and consequences. It is a statement. And I believe this is true for all areas of our lives, not just in giving or in development work.

This water project in Haiti, Advent Conspiracy as a whole, is a huge opportunity for us to be a part of something life-giving, together. It is a chance for us to be alert and intentional with our energy, time, and money this holiday season. It is a time for thoughtful reflection, engaging conversation, and creative expression. My prayer is that it will be God-led and beautifully counter-cultural. I am excited to see what He has planned for us in this time.

[I took this pic in Bangladesh in Feb. Cute kids, but I was trying to show the hanging latrines behind them. More people on earth have cell phones than toilets!]

Thank you for reading, for your willingness to learn, and for joining me on this important day. If you also want to donate your voice in the name of water today, post a status update or a note on your Facebook. Send an email to your closest friends. Create a post on your own blog. Find some good facts, photos, videos, and quotes here, to get you started. And if you want to learn more about it all, check out blogactionday.change.org.

Dear friends, I’m grateful to work beside you!

With great anticipation and love,
Erin Swanson

P.S. Stayed tuned in the coming months to learn more about Advent Conspiracy [watch 2 min promo video here] and the communities we’re supporting in Haiti. Read more about Water.org’s work in Haiti here.

P.P.S. And if you haven’t, I encourage you to talk to the WCC team that just went to Haiti a few weeks ago, including Bob Jeppson and David Dancy. I’m sure they have some amazing things to tell.

[Kids in Salepur slum in Bangladesh collecting clean water because of a Water.org project. It made my heart happy! :D ]

miners

More on the miners. Today, all miners are saved. That is good news. Imagine that all the miners could have been saved, but some decided not to come up.

Jesus' sacrifice is for all. Everyone is forgiven. Everyone can be saved. Yet some choose to stay in their selfishness. Eternity in a hell of selfishness when along, you were forgiven.

God has his preferences, but he awaits our choices. We choose to step towards his love, or we choose to remain in our selves. And his mercy and grace are freely given to all.

I am glad all the miners chose to come up. So would all the people if they knew what was waiting for them up above.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

miners rescued

Can you imagine. Trapped a half a mile underground for over 60 days. For the first 13 days, no one on the surface knows that you are alive. Then, a rescue plan begins. You wait and wait, as your friends above work on a plan to save you. Then the day comes and you are hoisted up a shaft to freedom. As you near the top, you can hear the cheering of the people. You emerge into the clean air and your family is there to embrace you. They are crying. So are you. You are saved.

One of the miners said, "they gave us our lives back."

And so, in this world, there are people that live in darkness. Some of them know it, others don't. Some have lived this way their entire life and don't know that there is another life, above in the light. But since we care about them, we look for a way. A way to find them, a way to help them. A way to lead them into the light of God's love. And when they find it, they sing a brand new song, amazing grace. That is what the church does. They give people their lives back.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

a bit of joy

A little bit of joy fell into our world yesterday. My oldest daughter, who will graduate from Warrensburg in December with a nursing degree, was called in for an interview at Children's Mercy! Of course, we won't know the outcome for a while, but she is ecstatic!

To raise a child thru grade school, high school and finally college, and see them launch into the work force is an awesome feeling!

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

time

Wow does time streak by. Daryl Hall of Hall and Oates is 64 today. John Lennon's birthday was Saturday. He was shot and killed 30 years ago. My kids don't know who either of them are.

I was talking to a friend Saturday night whose family has grown to the point where the kids are old enough to stay home by themselves. We talked about what that feels like, and what it feels like when they are teenagers and they just pass through the house. Then they move out and the house gets really quiet. And it all happens so fast.

The moral of that story is very simple to me. We can't turn back time. We can't slow it down. But we can savor every moment. Smell the flowers. See the trees. Listen to the birds sing.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

13 years ago

13 years ago we were talking about buying property on 291 and relocating our church. We talked about ideas and dreams. One of the things that we talked about was a walking trail and stations of the cross. That was 13 years ago.

Yesterday, thanks to the persistence of many, benches and sign posts were installed along the walking trail, identifying the stations. When complete, this walkway will be decorated with trees and flowers. This trail will be a place where people walk, not just for exercise, but for spiritual renewal.

Thank you to all of you who dream dreams at our church. Thank you to all of you who work so hard to make them come to pass. You are touching many.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

exhaling

Dear Exhaling,
you used your initials, but I won't use them here. I cannot post it, because I do not understand the comment that you want to post on the blog on sin from Friday. I assure you that I am not judging you or anyone. Please contact me in person or send an email to jeffb@woodschapelchurch.org if you would like to talk further.

Maybe I am missing something. Readers help me out. Is there something wrong with Friday's post on sin?
I remain your deeply caring pastor.........

if

If I never see you again, let the last word between me and you be a word of love. If we part and do not cross paths again, let us remember the good. Life is too short for us, or for anyone to ride the waves of hate.

You are an awesome person. So am I. heck, we all are because we are loved by God. It is ok that we are not at the same place in life right now. That does not devalue you or me. It is all good and maybe this thing will come around and we will ride the range again together.

In the mean time, let your only memories of me be that I love you very much. No strings attached, no worries. I pray for you, you pray for me. We're all apart of God's family.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

sin

Wednesday night at Disciple Bible Study we talked about the 10 commandments. I was reminded of something that one of my professors said in seminary: "it's not that God doesn't want you to have fun, God is against sin because it is bad for you."

I love that thought for two reasons. First, it is encouraging to think that God wants us to enjoy life. He is not against us having fun. I like that. Second though, is the reminder that sin will hurt us. It just does. Sin is a great deceiver. It always promises what it cannot deliver. The end result is pain.

Now the best news of all that is that if you have sinned, there is a remedy. Ask for forgiveness. Believe that you are forgiven, and don't do that stuff anymore. God will heal you.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

the small stuff

A few years ago one of you gave me a book entitled, "Don't sweat the small stuff." We should all buy the decal and stick it on each other's foreheads. That way, every time we see each other we will be reminded not to sweat the small stuff.

We can get pretty excited, pretty fast about small things that don't really even matter in the long run. Sometimes I catch myself having spent days worth of energy on something that just finally drifts away. A month later someone asks you about it, and you don't even remember being upset about it, but at the time it seemed like a life and death matter.

There are some things in life that we just can't do anything about. That is when prayer can come in. Praying for patience. Putting the thing into the hands of the Lord. When I truly give it to God, that tight feeling in my chest goes away.

It's not worth it. Don't sweat the small stuff.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

hold it

Don't let it go. That word in anger. That word of vindictiveness. Don't let it go. Don't let it fly. Do not push send. Once we let them go, we can never get them back. They fly and they hurt. They find their target and they inflict their damage. If you are angry, if you are hurt, hold it. Do not let it fly.

Instead, allow God to heal you. Let the blessing of sleep roll over your heart. Walk away. Kick a tree. Take it to the Lord in prayer. Just hold it and let it be absorbed by the love of our Father. It really is the best way.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Fog

Fog. It is kind of hard to explain. Mist, vapor, a cloud that you can't see thru. Hot and cold combine in ways that create shady, misty, fog.

The fog rolls in and the fog rolls out. The fog sneaks in and sits around for a while, and then, the fog lifts. I can't explain it. the fog is here, and then it's gone. When the fog lifts, a beautiful day is exposed.

When the fog rolls into your life it can feel like the gloom will never go away. But do not underestimate the power of our God to heal the heart and help you see thru the mist to the blue sky.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

God is

When there is nothing left, God is. When you have no one else to call on, God is there. When you are at the end of your rope, God is there.

When you think you know it all and you don't need anyone, God is hanging around waiting for you. When you are afraid, God is there. When you don't feel him, God is there. When you are offended. When you are broken. When you are happy. When you are sad. When the Chiefs win. When the Chiefs lose. If you don't know who the Chiefs are. God is there.

When your friends let you down. When your friends hurt you. When your friends are perfect. When your boss is mad. When your boss is happy. When you like it. When you don't. When you are in agreement. When you disagree.

When you like what is happening. When you don't.

The sun still comes up. Time keeps on ticking, into the future. And, God is still there. There is no place that you can go where he is not. There is not problem that you face that he is not there. Even if you are not aware that he is there, he is. God is.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

in my dreams

Yesterday afternoon there was this song stuck in my head. This morning the same one is back: "Sunny days seem to hurt the most, I wear the pain like a heavy coat. I can't believe you're gone."

But in my deams last night, I was flying. I was snow skiing. Life was filled with joy. We were organizing a program at church to help people experience a week in the life of hungry people. Odd as it sounds, people were excited and happy about the program. I did a lot in my dreams last night.

Now the alarm is on, a shower takes place, dress. Go to church. Sunday is such a good day, because being in worship with you always lifts my soul.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

posting

I have to be honest, I am pooped out. Between family issues and pressure at work, I am struggling to find daily thoughts for a blog. I am sure that my struggle has been more than evident over the past few weeks. I feel like i barely have enough inspiration for Sunday, much less having to post something every day.

I guess there is something to be said for being honest enough to tell you these things, but I doubt that it provides much of a sense of inspiration. There are times in life when everyone plods along and I am not going to lie about that. I am not depressed, everything is fine, but my brain and heart are routinely overcome with garbage lately. The trash truck is making it's rounds.

And so today, i am going to work at Hillcrest in the morning, then in the afternoon I am going to finish a sermon. When you think about it, that is not a bad day's effort.

It is still a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

Hillcrest

Tomorrow morning I am going to join at least 2 others at the Hillcrest Transitional Housing facility at 701 Sterling. We are going to start at 8am and do some demolition. Guys think this is fun, but everyone is welcome.

Demolition is the first step in a remodeling project. This is a building that Hillcrest is trying to change from a commercial building to apartments for the homeless. If you can give a little bit of your time tomorrow, we would love to have you join us, if even for 30 minutes. From I-70 take Sterling north all the way thru downtown Sugar Creek. Past Ernie's, and the building is on the right.

Every small thing that we do to help the needy..... helps the needy. It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

uptight

Do you ever catch yourself feeling uptight? Kind of a dumb word but when i feel this way it always seems so unnecessary. It's like everything is fine, everything is good, but for some reason I am uptight. Almost like I am feeling guilty for having a good day. Is that silly or what?

We are invited in scripture to give thanks and rejoice. So it should be ok for me to just relax and enjoy the day. Should be ok for you to enjoy it as well.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

demolition

Demolition is needed this Saturday at the Hillcrest house in Sugar Creek. Can you help from 8-12 or for one hour between 8 and noon? Demolition includes removing sheetrock, pulling nails, pulling lathe and taking a wall down to bare studs.

The Hillcrest house in Sugar Creek is still in flux. Still needs some work. If you can help on Saturday, you will be helping to provide a place for a homeless person to transition back into the real world.

Let me know if you can help on Saturday. The address is 701 Sterling.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.

where do you go?

Where do you go? When there's no place left to turn to? Who do I talk to, when no one wants to listen? who do I lean on, when there's no foundation stable? I go to the Rock, I know he is able, I go to the Rock.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.