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Mid-Week Missive |
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| Author: | Brad Miller | Created: | 10/30/2007 2:52 AM |  | | What is happening at BCC? |
| Hard Work: Big Results | |
| By Brad Miller on3/25/2009 2:31 PM | |
| Greetings on the waiting to rain day….
How is your Lenten journey going? Have you had any “aha” moments? Have you been able to incorporate more of the spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation into your daily life? Are you ready for it to be over?
Well, it will be in the not too distant future, but don’t wish this time away. A few weeks ago in worship I said “I love Lent.” I was surprised at the reactions I got: some who thought I was crazy (but, hey that could be for any number of reasons!), some who talked to me earnestly about their difficulties with Lent, but who were committed to doing their best to do the hard work in front of them. I heard from people who said that they never really thought of Lent as being much different from any other time of the year, and finally I even heard from a couple of you who understood what I meant and agreed with me!
But for those who didn’t understand what I meant, let me try and elaborate. ... |  | |
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| | "The Church Together" | |
| By Brad Miller on3/17/2009 10:00 AM | |
| Greetings on this beautiful day,
Last week I had lunch with someone who has been visiting the church for a while. He sat in on the board meeting after worship on February 28th to learn about possible building renovations and debt reduction and when I asked what he though he replied, “You know, in the past when I heard the word ‘church’ I would think of the building. Since coming to Brookhaven, I now know that the real ‘church’ is the people that make it up.”
Of course, he was right, it was just sort of odd that it came up when were talking about a meeting that specifically addressed some concerns for our physical plant! And he wasn’t trying to say that the building wasn’t important or didn’t matter. I think he was saying that the board meeting personified what it meant to be the church: thoughtful people, all working in the best interest of the ministry of Jesus Christ, all striving to find the best answers to questions, no matter if the topic was spiritual o ... | | |
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| | Heavenly Vision | |
| By Brad Miller on3/11/2009 10:15 AM | |
| Greetings on this beautiful pre-spring day!
One of the daily devotionals that I use is a classic written by Oswald Chambers called “My Utmost for His Highest.” Chambers wrote the original edition of this devotional in 1935 and over the years it has been updated to reflect changes in language, but through it all, editors have tried very hard to keep Chambers original intentions and thoughts intact. They have done a great job and it is volume that I would heartily recommend.
This morning the very first paragraph of the devotion hit me square between the eyes: “If we lose the ‘heavenly vision’ God has given us, we alone are responsible – not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly vision” is to give our utmost for His highest – our best for His glory…the acid test ... | | |
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| | True Lenten Fasting | |
| By Brad Miller on2/25/2009 12:50 PM | |
| Greetings on this wonderful Ash Wednesday morning,
Yes, it is hard to believe but Ash Wednesday is here and that means that we are now at the start of our Lenten journey for 2009. It is a journey we take every year, and our sincere hope is that each time we focus on our Lenten disciplines of introspection, prayer and study, we come closer and closer to being who God would have us be while strengthening our relationship with Jesus Christ. It says something about our humanness that we NEED to do this over and over again, year after year, Lent after Lent. It also says something about our grace filled God that we GET to do this over and over again, year after year, Lent after Lent.
Several years ago I came across an anonymous piece called “True Lenten Fasting” which I have used as a guide ever since. I have shared it with you before, but I would like to do so again so that you might put it on your refrigerator, or inside your Bible, or somewhere where you’ll see ... | | |
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| | Peanut Butter Crisis | |
| By Brad Miller on2/24/2009 3:58 PM | |
| Greetings on this chilly morning,
As if the news about the economy, job layoffs, plant shut downs, industry collapses and the like wasn’t enough. Now they are saying I have to get rid of my peanut butter! Will it never end, this cycle of bad news? Will we ever be able to eat that Snickers bar or dig into a fresh jar of Jif without wondering about our safety? Will I have to check packaging to see if anything I buy was made on machines that also processed peanuts? What will become of Mr. Peanut? Will he become destitute, with a soiled top hat and a broken cane, his monocle scotch taped together, living out his days with people staring and whispering, “What a shame. He used to be somebody, I just can’t remember who.”
Well, I for one am not going to take it. We can argue about how much CEO’s make, and whether or not socialized medicine is the way to go. We can talk about the billions that are needed to shore up our economy, our housing market. We can debate ... | | |
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| | Hospitality | |
| By Brad Miller on2/24/2009 3:50 PM | |
| Greetings on this drizzly morning,
It’s kind of funny how God works to put things in front of you that help you connect up the dots, move you forward, keep you on track. Let me explain.
This past weekend, Carol and I attended a conference/retreat for couples who are involved in Marriage Enrichment events. We went through training about 10 years ago, were certified to lead retreats and workshops, and have tried each year since to attend one of these conference/retreats. It has always proven to be a relaxing time, and we always come away with new insights about our own marriage, as well as for leading retreats. Over the years the conferences that we have attended have been held at Calloway Gardens, Birmingham and various places in and around Gulf Shores, Alabama. This years conference was held at the WinShape Retreat Center at Berry College. And something about this conference was very, very different.
The facilities are beautiful, but t ... | | |
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| | Being the Church | |
| By Brad Miller on2/11/2009 4:20 PM | |
| Greetings on this blustery day,
I knew there was something different about today, but it didn’t hit me exactly what it was until just a few minutes ago. Today is the third anniversary of my father’s death. On one hand it seems so long ago, while on the other hand, it seems like yesterday. There are still days when I reach to pick up the phone to ask him a question when I am caught up short by the realization that he is no longer here. Of course, I still do that in regards to my mother, too, and she has been gone more than 10 years! I miss them both terribly. But one thing I know: without the loving embrace of Christ’s church, my loss would have been just about unbearable.
When my mother died, the people at Peachtree Christian rallied around Carol and me. I remember walking down the church hall when one of my favorite people in the world, Virginia Weaver, stopped me, reached up from her wheel chair and hugged my neck and whispered, “I’m not your mother, but ... | | |
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| | The Mountaintop Experience | |
| By Brad Miller on1/26/2009 1:52 PM | |
| Yesterday was quite a day. Starting with the huge throngs of people who attended the inauguration of President Obama you just knew it was going to be a special day. So many people never thought they would see a day like yesterday, and when the reality of the moment sunk in, I understood why there was a tear in so many peoples eyes. This was a mountaintop experience of the first order, and I can only imagine what it felt like to the new President and his family.
But as the dignitaries were filing off the main stage, one of the announcers on the station I was watching said something to the effect of, “Well, he better enjoy it now because come tomorrow, it’s business as usual and he will have to deal with the opposition he surely faces.”
“How sad,” I thought. I know that there was certainly a grain of truth in what the commentator said, but still, who wants to be hit with such a downer on such an up day? Who wants to be reminded that they live in the valley and t ... | | |
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| Attitude Adjustment | |
| By Brad Miller on1/14/2009 2:58 PM | |
| Greetings on this cold-but-it’s-gonna-get-colder day,
Today was one of those days when I couldn’t ignore God’s presence if I tried to. First, I woke up groggy after a less than perfect night’s sleep. As I was getting ready, I was suddenly hit with an epiphany that said to me, “You can either give in to starting this day off badly, or you can decide to make it a good day.” I looked in the mirror and decided it would be a good day. Came into the office having to deal with some administrative issues that need to be tied up and with one fell swoop, someone stepped forward and basically said, “the issue is resolved.” Alright…this day might be good after all. Got an e-mail from a friend who is battling some health issues but ended by saying, “But I am doing great…I have great faith that things will be settled soon.” His attitude will take him far. And then, I looked at my morning devotional where the following was written, “Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of ... | | |
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| | A New Year Start | |
| By Brad Miller on1/7/2009 3:54 PM | |
| Greetings on this blustery day,
The chance to take a break after Christmas and just relax was just too good to pass up. Carol and I were able to get away to Charleston, S.C. to visit my cousins, and even though the big game didn’t turn out the way my cousin Jeananne and I would have liked (she also graduated from Michigan State) we had a nice relaxing time. And while it was good to get away and recharge, I am always excited about starting a new year at the church. There’s just something so hopeful about saying, “Okay, the old year is over and we can leave all the disappointments and missteps behind and start anew.” Even if we really can’t, it’s a nice thought anyway.
One way we start again at the beginning of the year is by welcoming all the new leadership of the church on board, and saying thank you to all those who are stepping away form leadership for now. In my time at BCC, I have been blessed with faithful and committed leadership who, to a person, have ... | | |
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