The Storie Board

The Storie Board is a collection of articles published in Highland Christian Church's monthly newsletter called The Highlander. These articles were primarily written by the the senior minister of Highland, The Rev. J. Scott Storie, and as such reflects his thoughts and opinion and not the varied members of Highland Christian Church.

November 16, 2007 - Tis the Season

"Tis the season to be overwhelmed.” This is, of course, a very cynical takeoff for a popular Christmas carol.  I thought of this phrase the other day while trying to be light hearted in the face of a minor stress. I had asked someone to do just one more thing for our thanksgiving service; to add just one more serving on an already overcrowded plate. When she told me “no” and then explained her situation; I felt guilty and a little frustrated because I had fallen into the quick sand of the holidays. Not only had I forgotten how everyone is pulled during this time of year: there is shopping to be done, events to be planned and celebrations to be organized. I had also committed a very prolific and modern sin: I want just a little bit more. It doesn’t seem like much, just a little bit more, but in reality, wanting a little bit more is an endless maze that can devour us.

There is a great scene in the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The Dorsleys, the related family with which Harry is forced to live after his parent’s death, are celebrating their son’s birthday. Dudley, Harry’s gluttonous cousin, runs into the room to count his gifts. He is horrified to find only 37 packages, one less than last year. The insult! Blast the contents of the packages! It is the “more” that is important. He flies into a squalling tantrum that is only soothed when his father promises to buy two more presents when they go out: one more than last year. The scene is a wonderful satiric image for, not just of the modern “functional” family, but also for a society with an insatiable appetite for more. Perhaps, the reason this season is overwhelming is that this is the season in which we are most pressed to indulge our appetite.

In our world today, most of us have an unspoken motto: more is better. There are self-help gurus on every bookshelf that make fortunes pushing us and prodding us not to be satisfied with where we are. We even find ministers of the church getting into the act. They tell us that if we are faithful then God will shower us not only with blessings but with “more” blessings. The problem, however, is God does not promise us what ever we want, God promises us enough. In Matthew 7:7 when Jesus says: “Ask, and it shall be given you”, he qualifies this promise explaining that God knows the difference between good and bad things. Now I do not mean to suggest that we should not strive to grow and improve or that there are not those who deserve more. Far from it. What I am suggesting is that we should learn thankfulness to God and that we should learn to find blessings in everyday that God is Immanuel; “God with us”. That is the key to becoming joyful; that is the key to making this a season to be merry.

October 24, 2007 - The Virtues of Bean Counting

I have been thinking about stewardship as of late; this should come as no surprise to anyone who has looked at the calendar or has ever taken a leadership role in the church. The calendar should reminds us that our annual stewardship drive is drawing near, and those who have experienced the task of church management need no reminders of the difficult and often time, unspiritual task of “counting beans” for the church. Too often, when we hear the word “stewardship”, we cringe because financial matters are the first thing that pops into our heads. Now, we all know that stewardship is much more than financial concerns. However, because it is the most often talked about and maybe because it is the easiest method of stewardship; it is are gut reaction. Fine! Let’s don’t cringe; let’s don’t run from it; let’s talk about bean counting.

Bean counting is, of course, a crass way of talking about collecting money and paying the bills. It also includes making sure there is enough toilet tissue in the restrooms on Sunday; ordering the coffee cups for our fellowship times; etc. The list of tasks is enormous. It is not glamorous, but it certainly is no easy task. What is more, it can be just plain frustrating for those who take up this indispensable ministry.  It is frustrating because we who benefit from the work; take it for granted.  We take for granted a clean building and a warm room. We take for granted that when we go to the supply room while doing one of our “important” ministries that everything we need will be there. We take for granted that someone is going to count our contributions, place them in the right account, and pay the water bill. Let me assure you, however, we take too much for granted.

That is why it irks me to no end to hear people ask; why is the church always looking for money? This question, I have found, is most asked by those who are looking for an excuse not to attend church, anyway.  Others ask; why is the church always wanting me to give of my time. The simple answers to these questions are themselves questions: if I will not give; then who will? If I will not be chairperson of the personnel, the hospitality, or the worship committees; then who will? Church is much more than just coming to service each Sunday and visiting the sick every now and again. The Church is service; continuous service to both God and to each other. It is a lifetime of often over looked details that are done in the name of Christ our Lord.

September 26,  2007 - God verses the drought

A few years ago, I walked into the middle of an argument. Two brothers, both saintly elders of the church, were having a heated disagreement on a Sunday morning. They liked to get to church before the rest of the crowd and to make sure they could sit in same pew on which they had sat for the last fifty years. One was arguing that the drought we had been experiencing had nothing to do with God; that nature was a force unto itself and that God had simply set it into motion. The other brother was adamant that God had God’s “hand on the faucet” to use his words. God could and would make it rain whenever God wanted rain. Luckily for me, when it was my turn to weigh in with my two cents, the phone rang and I got to excuse myself from the room. By the time, I returned the conversation had moved on to more mundane issues. Nevertheless, I have never forgotten the conversation because, at its center, was a question that strikes at the very heart of our faith. Is God in control?

Of course, if everything is hunky-dory in our live we might well think: “Of course God is in control. That is a silly thought! Look how wonderful life is!” However, what if our crops failed and we lost the family farm because of that drought? Or maybe something a little more applicable to us urban dwellers; we are in the doctor’s office and we hear the word “cancer”? Or what if a loved one of ours is hurt or is sick? If we are experiencing a "drought" in our lives. Then that question is not so silly and it is certainly not so easily dismissed.

We all have periods of doubt in our lives; times when we question the fairness of life or even if there is anyone in control. These moments are as natural as the rain, and what is more God understands them. When Jesus was faced with boy in need of healing, he tells the boy’s father “That all things can be done for one who believes.” The father lets out an honest wrenching cry: “I believe, help my unbelief”. (Mark 9: 23-24) Scripture calls us not to an uncompromising, stoic belief but to a dynamic, eschatological faith; a faith that no matter what our current situation God will find a way to turn it into something better. As scripture tells us, God will turn “mourning into joy” (Jeremiah 31:13) and will “wipe every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelations 21:4). To be honest, I am not sure if God has anything to do with droughts; I do not know what purpose they might serve, but regardless I do know God cares for those who suffer and like Jesus and the little boy, God longs to take us by the hand and lift us up. May God’s peace be with you all.   

August 28,  2007 - The Coaching Phase

I have entered a new phase in my life: the coaching phase. It is that time in life when my children are beginning to be interested in sports and because I want to be a part of their lives, I volunteered as well. I have to admit I am enjoying it and am truly amazed at these kids. I also must admit I am learning a great deal as well. I am the coach of the Wolverines, a U-6 soccer team at the YMCA. “U-6” means that the kids are under the age of six for all you non-sporting types. We practice no more than once a week and have games on Saturday morning.

One important lesson I have learned from these U-6 kids: play just to play. These kids have not yet been spoiled by the winner-take-all attitude that is so common among adults. They are playing just for the sake of having fun. This wonderful truth became evident to me when during the last game two of my team members stopped at mid field to tell me how much fun they were having and to ask if there would be a snack. They took me by surprise because my focus was on stopping the other team from scoring. The thought crossed my mind to yell “get back in the game.” Then I noticed the boy with the ball was having way too much fun kicking it to aim it at the goal. I looked back down at those two smiling faces and said “yea, I think so.” The two ran back into mass of kicking leg yelling: “Alright! A snack!” At that moment, I suddenly remembered. I remembered being a child and playing ball in the backyard; I remember yelling “time out” to get a drink from the hose and carrying the ball not because I was the fastest but because it was my turn. Now don’t get me wrong. I love sports and competition as much as anyone. Just ask my wife. But too often these days, I have been guilty of letting winning become more important than the game itself.

Now I can’t speak for anyone else but I suspect that this attitude has seeped into other aspects of our lives. It is in our financial life, our professional life and, yes even, our Christian life. Too often, we say “I am doing alright, if other fall behind, that is their problem. I’m going to get ahead.” I would also suspect that God is none too proud of that either. Please pardon the metaphor but if God is our coach and this world God’s backyard then 1^st Timothy tells us God longs for all his children to win. And yes, there will be a snack. We call it communion.                      

March 2,  2007 - Spring Fever

Spring is almost upon us, and I admit it, I have spring fever. My Hawaiian shirts are calling to me and much of my spare time is filled with daydreams of warm weather. Just the other day, I drove to Lexington and with a little imagination, I could almost see green leaves budding out of now bare branches. With a little more, I could look out at the empty brown fields and could see green grass swaying with the wind, corn popping up in rows, flowers peeking through the fields and young tobacco plants sprouting up. I tell you, I love spring in the Bluegrass. We literally live in a land overflowing with milk and honey. But you and I both know that wishing and daydreaming is not what makes these fertile fields produce their amazing bounty. It takes hard work and dedication and most of this work will happen in the next month or so. Fields of corn, beans and tobacco will need plowing, cultivating, and finally planting before our countryside will reveal its wondrous rewards.

January 31,  2007

I have been thinking lately about behavior: why we do the things we do, and do we have a choice in our needs and responses. Don’t be too alarmed. This happens every time I struggle with Paul’s Letter to the Romans. We started our Bible study last week on that very letter and already I am deep in the labyrinth. I will give you just a taste. “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but do the very thing I hate.” (7:15) I mean, come on!

It seems that, as humans, we have always struggled to understand ourselves. We have developed all sorts of theories on what governs our behavior that place the blame or credit on everything from the stars and the moon to the DNA in our brains, and still we continue to search. I discovered something interesting on a personal level in all of this. I went back and dug out my old sociology books and retook the Myers-Briggs test (a standard in personality testing) and, lo and behold, my scores today are almost identical to my score twenty years ago. I am still an INFP (introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving) even though my life circumstances have changed dramatically. Kudos to Myers and Briggs! I remember my professor assuring me that this would happen and also saying that no traits are inherently good or bad. They are what you make of them. For example, it is no better or worse to be extraverted than to be introverted. The problem occurs when one longs, for whatever reason, to be something he or she is not and tries to live out the denial. Nothing is more disastrous for people than to imitate a “norm” that conflicts with their traits. Part of healthy development, she said, is to learn to be comfortable with oneself and then one can deal with growth and change.

I am not sure if all the experts would agree in stretching this concept to communities but I believe churches have personalities as well. Maybe they are intentional or maybe they are developed over time from their collective members but the same rules apply. A church has to become comfortable with who it is and its personality must be treated with respect in order for healthy development can occur. So that begs the question: what is Highland Christian Church’s personality? Are we extraverted or introverted? What are our other traits? I think these are important questions to answer because the answers will keep us from following after the latest fads and tends. They may even keep us closer to God by showing us how we can best serve in God’s Kingdom

January 10,  2007

       "The Bible keeps reminding us that God is a mystery that lies utterly beyond our comprehension. All our images are inadequate; all our categories break down. All our efforts to fit God to our purposes or our values leave us worshiping an idol of our own manufacture."  William Placher. Jesus the Savior: The Meaning of Jesus Christ for Christian Faith

This is one of my favorite quotes of all times. Read it again. I’ll wait…

I thought of this quote the other night as I was watching a brilliant movie called “Talladega Nights”. Yes, it is filled with sophomoric humor but then again it is satire. It will never win an Oscar; but then again, they awarded 11 of those shining statures to “Titanic” so awards are hardly a indicator of the quality of movies. There is one scene in particular in “Talladega Nights” that is especially brilliant. It is the scene when the racer, Ricky Bobby, is leading his family in prayer. There he is; sitting hands folded; eyes closed; surrounded by the ideal family; in a beautiful multimillion dollar home. It’s the American dream. He begins the prayer “Dear Sweet Baby Jesus” and instantly the mask is ripped from the dream. His wife, insistent that Jesus grew up and had a beard, is upset because she wants the prayer to be  “right” so God will let Ricky win tomorrow. After all, she needs more money. Ricky yells back that he likes the “Baby Jesus” best and how precious is Jesus’ sweet “little bare baby bottom”. His kids start yelling and cursing at their grandfather who in turn is yelling at Ricky. After this long argumentative prayer which also includes a thanksgiving for Dominos Pizza, the family finally finds common cause as Ricky thanks God for the 21 million dollars in income last year. A collective “Woo-ho” is proclaimed and then an Amen.              

Yes, it’s an exaggerated scene but the indictment is clear. How often do we choose to worship a God with whom we are comfortable rather than the God revealed to us in the whole of Scripture?  How often do we use God to serve our purpose? How often is Jesus nothing more than image that strikes our fancy? Placher’s quote reminds us that all those images we have of God including those of God smiling down on us because we are such wonderful people are complete figments of our imagination. Worse, they are idols we worship. The truth is: God is a mystery that refuses to be boxed-in. God refuses to be used. Just as soon as we think we have God understood; just as soon as we think we know how God thinks; that is when we are furthest from understanding the mystery. Faith in this mysterious, glorious Creator calls us to a constant state of learning; a constant state of transformation; a constant state of challenge. It’s God’s magnificent way of insuring that our faith is in His Grace rather than in our own cleverness.

November 9, 2006

Remember sabbaths? You remember, sabbaths, right? Those things mentioned 164 times in Scripture. I remind you of them because the Holidays are coming up. I know it’s the Holidays because the stewardship campaign is in full swing and that means budget time is right around the corner and that means, in turn, the end of the year. I know it is the Holidays because the people around here are busily talking about cookie parties and cantatas and poinsettias. I also know the Holidays are coming because I went into Wal-Mart last week and what do you think I saw. Yes! You guessed it! Santa Claus! In October! Tis the season to go crazy it seems. Each year I hope that collectively we can head off some of that craziness but I realize that it’s a losing battle. People have been lamenting the things that holidays have become for years only to find the Christmas decorations out even earlier the next year. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against Santa and I don’t want to bash holidays. I just think that we have forgotten something. I think we have forgotten what the holidays were intended to be. They were meant to be sabbaths. Days of joyful rest! A break from the routine! They were meant to be times for us to rejuvenate ourselves, to renew our strength, to remind ourselves of what is important.

The problem comes in this post modern age because the things for which we are grateful and things that rejuvenate us (friends, family, home, and yes even God) seem a million miles away from us. What’s more, we are simply too busy during the other 364 days of the year to bridge those gaps. In our desperation, we try to make up for it during the Holidays. We feel obligated to travel somewhere, to shower our loved ones with expensive somethings, to phone anyone, to entertain everyone, and do all this, we are told, with a sense of cheer and gratitude and goodwill toward our fellow man. Is it any wonder many people dread the Holidays.

I personally have no answer to how do we get a grip on Holidays, but thankfully, God seems to have an answer. God called it Sabbath and what is more, God has given them to us as a gift. Remember Jesus said “The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath” so what Sabbath means may be as varied and as numerous as we are but none the less, they are gifts to us. Let us resolve this year to treat ourselves to a gift from God, a true Sabbath, in whatever form that takes, and not run ourselves to death over these next few months. And let us pray that from this moment we find the strength and wisdom to bring those things for which we are grateful closer to us on the other 364 days if not physically, then in spirit. We will call more often. We will visit more. We will pray. We will find ways to bridge those gaps. Remember 164 times, surely God was trying to tell us something.

October 12, 2006

A few years ago I read a book by Arthur Simons, founder of Bread for the World and a Lutheran Minister, entitled How Much is Enough: Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture. In the book, Simons raises some provocative questions for those of us struggling to raise families and make ends meet in twenty first century America. He wrote,   

 “As the twenty first century began…Middle-income working families were making more money than ever, but family debt and hours spent at work had also risen. What stresses them, the article said, are expenditures: new clothes, child-care, lessons, eating out, movies, home decoration, big screen television sets, computers, stereo systems, Christmas gifts and saving for college and retirement. For these expenses, most families needed more than one income. About the same time, a national poll of women revealed that two of their major concerns were the time crunch (more time at work, less with family) and a perceived decline in the nation’s moral values. Ironically, those polled also thought that the best way to reverse the decline in moral values was for parents to spend more time with their children.”

It seems we are caught in a vicious cycle that consumes us. Though Simons developed 19 practical suggestions at the end of his book (some as simple as ‘turn off the TV’ and others as complicated ‘zero based, faith based budgeting’. Zero based, faith based budgeting begins with your needs rather your income.), the underpinning to his answers were prayer and a deepened devotional life. Simon would suggest that without spirituality, not only inwardly focused spirituality but also outwardly focused, American culture stands little chance of breaking this devouring cycle.

I could not agree more and here is the twist. Ready. Spirituality is stewardship. They are one and the same. This may seem a bit strange if you believe stewardship is only about giving money. After all, how can giving more help our struggle with having enough income and free time? Stewardship is more than just giving. It is placing our lives, our resources, and our gifts in proper relationship with the God that creates us, that sustains us and that redeems us. Stewardship challenges every aspect of our lives. To be a good steward is to devote time to pray. To be a good steward is to study the Bible. To be a good steward is to spend time with family. As we think about how to begin the next fifty years at Highland, I hope our starting point is asking: how can we be faithful stewards of our blessings?

September 28,  2006

I read something this past weekend that would be almost funny if it were not such a sad turn of events. I read in the Nashville Tennessean where NBC has begun airing VeggieTales episodes on Saturday morning. You know VeggieTales; that quirky little animated show about a bunch of fruits and vegetables that promised “Saturday morning fun and Sunday morning values”. If there anyone with whom the show does not ring a bell then find anyone under the age of 10, and they will tell you all you need to know about Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber. I would also be willing to bet that many of those under 10 kids could repeat the closing statement that Bob the Tomato proclaims at the end of every episode. It goes something like this, “Remember kids! God made you special and he loves you very much.” At first, I was pleasantly surprised with the news that a Christian show has finally made it to the big time. It would be right up there with the Power Rangers. I soon found out, however, that in order to reach a “broader audience” all references to Scripture would have to be removed and the catch phrase about God’s love would be changed to “Thanks for coming over to my house, kids. See you next week.” In order to reach a “broader audience”, the Christian show must advocate any one religious point of view. I kid you not. I have included the web address of the news article at the bottom just in case you don’t believe me. Read it for yourself.

I tell this story not to create anger against NBC or VeggieTales. I am not fomenting protest, and I am not encouraging everyone to send angry letters to their congress man or woman. I tell this story to illustrate a fact of our world today. Ready! If we want our children to grow up Christian, we must teach them ourselves. Us! Me and You! We cannot expect our culture, our government, our schools, our televisions, Wal-Mart or even talking vegetables to help us. The amazing thing to me is even though this truth has been painful clear for almost forty years, we Christians are still shocked when the culture does not show the proper respect we believe it owes to our faith. Remember last year Wal-Mart caused all the uproar when their employees said Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.  

The educational ministry of our faith is the essential process, along with family teachings, in passing our faith to the next generation. This means that family participation in Sunday school and teaching events, like church camp and youth groups, are vital to the faith formation of our children. This means that Bible study in our churches and in our homes is irreplaceable to faithful living. This means regular church attendance with our children is essential to their faith growth and health. Educational ministries are simply no longer optional. Our children are too important and they will not be exposed to the truth and love of God through Jesus Christ in foundational ways any where else. It is time we as a Church face up to the reality of the world in which we live. We must take responsibility for our faith and teach it to our children.   

September 14,  2006

I was watching a TV show a few weeks ago called “Grey’s Anatomy”. I believe it received several awards during the last Emmys. I can’t say I recommend it. It is a bit too obsessed with the characters love life. Anyway, during this episode a man who is facing a life threatening surgery asked the main character, Dr Grey, to video his last words to his family and friends. She agrees. The man steadies himself before the camera and begins a long list of angry name calling, recounting all the ills people have done to him over his life time. He sends a tape an ex girlfriend how dumped him in college where he gloats over her divorce. He sends one to his brother who went out with another girl he liked when he was 13. The list just goes on and on. When Dr. Grey protests, the man says he has held these feelings deep inside him and he did not want to take them to his grave.

I have thought about that man often since watching the show wondering how much of that person resides in me. Oh, I would never make a tape recounting all the mistreatments I have suffered in my life, but I cannot deny I have held a few grudges in my time. For example, there was this time… Well, I better not go there.

We are called in Scripture to forgive our brothers and sisters. In Luke 6, Jesus commands us to “Forgive and you will be forgiven” and each week we say together “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” in the Lord’s Prayer, yet we continue to struggle deeply with forgiveness on both in our personal life and our civic life. On a national level this past weekend, we were reminded of the difficulty of forgiveness as we struggled with 9/11. In a discussion of minister, I heard them wrestle not only with how to help their congregations find forgiveness but also how to find forgiveness within themselves. They talked about how anger from 9/11 has bubbled up to the social surface in other places, like the border issue, and when that anger comes to the surface, division is not far behind. Maybe that is why Jesus longed for us to forgive. I wish that I had an easy answer to forgiveness, but the truth is forgiveness takes effort. It takes time. It takes love with one another, and most of all it takes trust in something greater than ourselves. I hope you will join with me in prayer that our nation, our church, and each other find the release of forgiveness for which Christ so desperately hoped. 

August 30,  2006

I have been thinking a great deal of ordination as of late. I am sure that comes as a shock to no one. Ordination has been a goal for, not only me, but also my family for almost four years and now that it is just days away, of what else would I be thinking. I’ll have to be honest, at times, it seemed as out of reach as the moon. It seemed like this magical place somewhere over the rainbow where everything is in color. When I am finally ordained, I will be… Well, you can finish the sentence. You know what dreams are like. 

And that dream was important to me. It carried me through some very black and white days. There were days when I had test and papers due the next day and I was dealing with a crisis at the church and all I wanted to do was go home and play with my kids. The dream helped me through times when I had a thousand and one mundane tasks to finish before I could call it a day. The problem is: the closer I get to ordination the less it looks like the dream land of my imagination. Now that it is upon us, ordination has become a celebration of the hard work and the accomplishments of the past, but more importantly, it has become a jumping off point for a future of even greater expectations and possibilities.    

The same is true for our Jubilee celebration in October. It will be a celebration of fifty years of everyday service to Christ that has characterized this church and her people. It will be a celebration with pride of our past. It will be a family reunion. It will be a time for us to raise our joy to God and to each other with thanksgiving. And we need to take advantage of the celebration because on October 9^th, our task will be to serve the Risen Christ with even greater determination. Our future is wide open with the promise of even greater faith, greater hope, and greater works in the name of Christ. These past fifty years have been just the warm up. They have been just the first laps of a marathon event. We have more to do; so much more to do.

As the author of Hebrews said: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith,”. Let us renew our strength together. Let us run our race together.

July 27,  2006

Having four children under the age of 6, I have become quite the connoisseur of children’s movies. It doesn’t matter whether they are classic fairytales or modern cartoons, I believe I have seen them all in the past few years, but my favorites are still the ones I grew up on like The Wizard of Oz and all those classic Disney movies. My most favorite is still Winnie the Pooh. Sitting and watching it with my little ones is always a treat for me. I enjoy watching them more as much as the movie but every now and again, my eyes wonder back to the TV screen and I find myself caught in the story once again. Do you know what I noticed? Winnie the Pooh has some great lessons for the church. I think we should skip a sermon one Sunday and everyone watch Winnie the Pooh. There are great moral lessons on sharing, the problem of over indulging (I find that one hits home the most), and accepting people for who they are.

            One day while watching it with Andrew I noticed something I had never noticed before. I must have been in my “thoughtful spot.” I noticed that the characters can be great metaphors for churches. There is the always right churches like Rabbit. There is the long winded churches like Owl. There is the exuberant churches like Tigger and there is the always gloomy churches like Eeyore. Yes, maybe I have watched the movie once too often. But there is a truth here. How many of us have encountered a church that did not care whether they hurt others as long as they were right or a church with long boring services that seem to go on for ever and ever. That is why I love the Disciples of Christ so much. The Disciples affirms that our only creed is Christ and each congregation is free to adapt the service to best speak to their people.

June 29,  2006

   I must admit I am a bit nervous writing an article for the newsletter before you have had the opportunity to get to know me, but when Peggy gave me the opportunity to write something, I could not help myself. I am a little impulsive. That is something you should know. These past few weeks have been a bit like a dream for Rachel and me. I am in my last class at seminary (Wow! I like saying that). Our family has moved into our new home and Rachel is busy painting rooms and talking about curtains, shades of blue, and recovering furniture. (Wow, just wow!) Not the least of this amazing few weeks, we are saying goodbye to old friends and meeting new ones. So you will have to forgive the fact that my first letter to the congregation is going to be rather short and weak on wise theological rumblings.

            It is hard to describe just how excited Rachel and I are to be here at Highland. We prayed when we entered the search process that God would open the door to a loving, committed congregation where our children could grow up and our family could find a home. I believe God has answered our prayers and I hope that God has answered yours.

            I would like to make one request if I might. I would ask that even though both of our search processes have ended and God has answered our prayers that we continue to pray for one another. I am very excited and confident in our future ministry. I hope you are as well. However, our ministry together will only be successful if the goals and the actions of our ministry are consistent with God’s will and God’s love. Let us commit to continuous prayer for our church and our leadership that our ears are open to hear the calling of God; that our eyes are open to see the light of Christ; and our hearts our open to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit.