Thursday, September 27, 2012

Reflections for 9/27

One of my sort of stress relievers is my musical birthday updates on my Facebook page.  I've loved music all of my life.  There's something from every genre that I like, though I do have my preferences. 

Sometimes when I see a birthday come up, it takes me back to my younger days or sometimes my adult days. Remembering concerts, and the friends I went with, or songs that I used to blast in my car, or perhaps still do.  Music is often a soundtrack for our lives. 

Today I noticed that it was Shaun Cassidy's birthday.  Now I'm not claiming to be a big fan or really a fan at all, but there was a period in my life when he was somewhat omnipresent.  This was mainly due to my sister's love for him.  I can still picture her room with all those posters and Tiger Beat covers of Shaun plastered on her walls.  Da Doo Run, run blasting from her stereo. 

In full disclosure she could tell a similar story of me, just change Shaun to Kiss. And instead of the Da Doo Run Run put in Shout it out Loud.

What I remember also about the dueling music of the Zelley children was how my father decided that this would be a good sermon illustration for the John 14 passage, "in my Father's house, there are many rooms."  He even went so far as to quote lyrics from the songs he was hearing.  I think he should have checked them a little more thoroughly before reading them out loud in church.

I've always liked that passage from John, the vision of what Heaven is like, with a place prepared for me.

I wonder if that room would contain only the things that truly made me happy in life, or would there be some examples of things from all chapters of my life?

I know there are things that make me unique and there are things that continue to bring me joy.

What would your room look like?  What are the central pieces of the different chapters in your life?  When you hear a song, what does it conjure up in your memory.

Blessings,
Ed

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Reflection for September 25, 2012

Today is an anniversary of sorts for Gail and I.  We went on our first date in 1988.  I can tell you where we went, it was to the Ground Round in Newburgh, NY.  We had dinner, what else would you do at a Ground Round?  We then went back to my apartment.  This wasn't an official date, I was thanking her for being willing to watch my apartment while I was on the road recruiting for Mt. Saint Mary College at which she was a student.

I was supposed to go down to NJ that night, but instead hung out at my apartment and she and I watched the Bush-Dukakis debates, yes I'm quite the romantic.  Little did I know that young woman would eventually become the person I'd spend the rest of my life with.

This past Sunday we read a passage from the Book of Proverbs in which the opening sentence was "a capable wife, who can find?"  I thought that was a strange way of phrasing what we should be looking for in a life time partner, capability.  I'm not even sure what a "capable" wife, or for that matter husband would be. Are there specific tasks involved?

I know that a marriage, much like any partnership should be one where the partner brings out the best in the other. This is true in business as well as households.  Do the two people's strengths compliment each other?

I preached on that proverb last week.  Thought it was worth contemplating.  Not only about celebrating wives, and my wife in particular, but also any covenant relationship.  I reminded the congregation that we see marriage as a pointing to the union between Christ and his Church, and so I asked what makes a capable church?

When you look at the primary relationships, whether marital, business, familial or friendship, what has made them work? What did you look for in those partnerships?  What did you bring to the relationship?  And in those times when it didn't work out, what was missing?

Blessings,
Ed