Misfit

This past Sunday we finished up our worship series "A Fresh Start" at Colonial Heights.  I had picked this series to coincide with "back to school" and the fact that I am new to Colonial Heights and to South Knoxville (I have previously served churches in North, East, and West Knoxville).  The second in the series was entitled "Fit In" which had the assignment for the congregation to "choose good peeps" (associate with people who bring out the best in you).

BIT:  The Brewster's "A Fresh Start" has been a little strange.  We have moved from a community (Farragut in West Knoxville) which has, perhaps, the highest family income of anywhere in East Tennessee to South Knoxville (I don't have the stats, but I'm thinking it doesn't rank in the top 10 in family income).  To say that our move has raised a few eyebrows would be an understatement.  
Soon after moving I went to get my hair cut at Great Clips.  They asked if I was a previous customer (they track your hair cuts on the computer so that they can taylor them to your liking).  I told them that I had been to a Great Clips somewhere else, but that this was my first time here.  They put my info in the computer.  When my name was called, I shared how I wanted my hair cut.  My cutter (that doesn't sound right, but to call her a stylist ... well, you've seen my hair ... stylist would be close to a miracle worker), knowing that I was new to the community she asked, "So, where did you move from?"  I replied, "We just moved from Farragut."  My hair cut stopped.  She looked at me through the mirror, a questioning look emerged on her face (long pause) ... and she said, "From Farragut to South Knoxville?  Why?  Were you looking for a slower pace?"

BITTER:  As a United Methodist Pastor, only twice have I been able to choose my peeps (I was given the choice to go to Wesley Memorial in Cleveland and to First Broad Street in Kingsport).  All the other times, my peeps were chosen for me. This is probably a good thing.  Fitting in has not always been my strong suit.  Junior High (yes, I came before the concept of Middle School) and High School were not "good times".  Brewster Peeps were hard to come by.  My motto was (like Hermey the Elf) "I'm Independent." Again, to say that that attitude didn't work so well would be an understatement.  College, Emory and Henry, was to be my "A Fresh Start" ... I don't know if E and H was just a collection ground for misfits, but I found that I fit in.  And, I was surrounded by peeps that brought out the best in me (or at least brought out the fun in me - good times!).

BITTEST:  I've been blessed ever since.  Each place that I've been appointed ... be it my choosing (Cleveland and Kingsport) ... or chosen for me ... from Strawberry Plains, to East Knoxville ... from Farragut to South Knoxville ... I've been surrounded by peeps that bring out the best in me.  South Knoxville and Colonial Heights is not different.  It is mysterious how we fit in to the Body of Christ.  No matter our demographic, we fit in.  It's not about how much you make or how big a house you have or what emblem is on the front of your car (unless it's a Mustang or a Jeep and then I'm impressed) -- it's about the amount of love you have in your heart and how much of that love you are willing to share.  So, if you're a nitwit or just having trouble fitting in, if you're from South Knoxville or Farragut, in the words of Hermey, "Let's be independent together."

You've Lost that Bloggin' Feeling

I did, and I have ... lost that bloggin' feeling.  I've not blogged since March.  I had a blog selected for Monday, March 12 entitled "The Point of No Return".  It was focused on my deck remodeling project at our house in Farragut. However, something else happened on that day that stripped my bloggin' feeling right out from under me (not to mention that "The Point of No Return" title would have been sooo inappropriate given the situation).  The Situation (NOT Mike Sorrentino) was ... I was moving.  It was not firm exactly where I was moving to, but I really didn't want to move.  My mother-in-law was dying of cancer, my wife was in the midst of trying to change jobs, my kids were thriving in school, I was not ready to leave the church I was pastoring, not to mention that we owned a house in the community (for only 3 years) and I knew it would be a beast to sell and come away with what we had put into it, AND I had just torn up the deck (it's hard to sell a house with a huge hole in the deck).

BIT:  It was a huge disappointment!  Over the next month I struggled to wrap my mind around what was happening (and all the while, we were playing, what I have termed it, "Secret Squirrel").  I still didn't know exactly where we would be moving, which made it even more stressful.  In the midst of the disappoint, the stress, the grief, the sadness, the secrecy (and even some feelings of betrayal), I lost that bloggin' feeling.

BITTER: This past Sunday I preached on Disappointment as part of our "A Fresh Start" worship series at Colonial Heights Church (that's where we finally landed -- I'll blog [maybe] about that).  It really was a sermon I preached to myself and allowed the congregation to hang out with me.  Our assignment was, "When the (pencil) Lead Breaks: Rise Above Disappointment".  And I asked, "How do you do that?"  I know the answer is "Don't Go It Alone: Take God with You" because God is always ready to calm us in the midst of our storm.  And then it hit me (really hard, I might add)!  I've not awakened the living Christ to my storm (the scripture was Mark 4:35-41, Jesus Clams the Storm).  It's been a process ... slowly adding things that connect me to Christ (centering prayer, spiritual reading, etc.) ... and removing things that I have allowed to comfort me (temporarily) ... so that I might, like the disciples, tap into that power which made them ask, "Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

BITTEREST: So, in the prayer style of the Righteous Brothers, my prayer is that I get that bloggin' feeling back (you can pray it with me) ...

Baby (baby), baby (baby),
I beg of you please...please,
I need to blog (I need to blog), 
I need to blog (I need to blog),
So bring it on back (So bring it on back), 
Bring it on back (so bring it on back).

Bring back that bloggin' feeling,
Whoa, that bloggin' feeling
Bring back that bloggin' feeling,
'Cause it's gone...gone...gone,
and I can't go on,
noooo...

Amen.

Well, I can go on ... blogging (or lack there of) is not the end of the world.  Be looking for the answer to prayer ... coming soon?