From Tradition to Truth

As promised, we received the audio from Mt. Gilead and we've posted it on the GCA website.  It's on the homepage under the Midweek Teaching header.  We'll be returning to our regular midweek series on September 8, after Labor Day Weekend.

http://www.salvationbygrace.org/

Midweek teaching at Mt. Gilead

For our friends and listeners in the Nashville area, I'll be at Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church this evening, teaching on the topic "From Tradition to Truth."  Elder Roderick Glatt is the pastor at Mt. Gilead.  He's a good friend and fellow advocate of God's free and sovereign grace.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to share some time with the saints there. We'll be starting at 7:00.  See you there!

Photos from the Guyo Baptism

I've posted a few photos from our recent baptism service.  You can view them here:


http://picasaweb.google.com/116058329220589265463/GuyoBaptism#

Conference Messages are now available online

All of the recorded messages from the 2010 Sovereign Grace Bible Conference are now online and available as free MP3s.

2010 Conference Messages

Also, make sure to click through the photo album that was just uploaded today.

Faces of Conference

Do yourself a favor and make sure to listen to Pastor Roger Skepple's series on discipleship from Matthew 11. This is what good, solid Bible exegesis is all about.

2010 Sovereign Grace Bible Conference update

Well, the week just flew by.  It began last Sunday with preaching at GCA in the morning and the baptism of James and Ella in the evening.  It was a blessed event.  Baptism is one of my favorite things to do as a pastor.  It connects us with 2000 years of Christian tradition, as generation after generation of believers has made the public proclamation of their alignment with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.  Very cool.  (I am the master of understatement.)

Megan and I drove to Chattanooga Monday evening and settled into our room.  Then, early Tuesday morning, we began four days of preaching and teaching (and drumming).  The conference went wonderfully well.  Or, as Elder Spotts put it, "God has kissed this conference."  I think that's an apt description of what we all felt.

There had been some consternation about moving the conference from Lexington to Chattanooga.  But, the folk at New Home Baptist Church and Resurrected Baptist Church went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable.  As I said at the beginning of my message on Wednesday afternoon, "It's a new location, but it's the same Spirit."

I have begun the process of converting the sermons and teaching sessions to mp3's.  It's a time-consuming process because of how the original recordings were made.  But we'll be posting them on the conference website in the days ahead.  Just click on the title of this post to be redirected to the conference website.  I converted my message (entitled Jesus Said, "Follow Me") last night and it will be on the GCA home page today, at the same time that yesterday's morning message is posted.

One of the highlights of the conference occurred Friday night when it was time to hand out the banners for conference attendance.  Although there were 45 churches represented at the conference, GCA took third place!  And we came home with a banner, which is now proudly hanging on our foyer wall.

Every year I make a point of attending this particular conference -- both the men's conference in March and the general conference in August.  It's a time to recharge my batteries, listen to men I trust, and fellowship with like-minded saints and preachers.  I always come home focused and fed.  And, this year I played more drums in four days than I think I've physically played in the last two years.  It was both challenging and encouraging to discover what my old bones were still capable of.  I got to play with some stellar musicians, whose coattails I clung to and tried to keep up.  It was great fun.

So, all in all, it was a mighty fine week.  Megan had to return home midweek in order to play at her recital Friday night. (She's been playing cello for only six months and she's already second chair in the local string ensemble.  She's a born cellist.  Who knew?)

I'll post updates here when the conference messages start hitting the website.  Do yourself a favor and make sure to listen to Roger Skepple's four-part teaching on discipleship from Matthew 11.  You won't regret it.  Oh, and pictures from conference will be posted once I compile them all, sort through them, and get them up on Picasa.

It was a grand week, but it's good to be home.

It's Sovereign Grace Bible Conference time!

Megan and I are busy packing bags, double checking our lists, and loading the car.  We're off to Chattanooga for this year's Sovereign Grace Bible Conference.  It's always a blessed, wonderful time of teaching, preaching, and fellowship.  And I love being in the midst of people with whom I can let my guard down and trust that they are preaching, praising, and trusting the same God as myself.  These are my friends, these are my brethren, these are the saints of the Lord gathering for worship.

I'll be speaking Wednesday at noon.  I'd appreciate any prayers you can muster -- that we're safe, that the conference goes well, that God is glorified, and that the saints are edified.

I can't say that I'm looking forward to hotel beds or the steady diet of restaurant food.  But, I'm looking forward to slowing the schedule down, listening, singing, and enjoying the time of fellowship.

In the meantime, if you send me an email, I won't be responding until sometime next week.  So, be patient. 

Grace, peace, and all good things to you and yours.

Jim

This Sunday's Baptism Service

As promised, here are the details for Sunday, August 1.  We will be holding a baptism service at 5:00 p.m. at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Nashville.  We will be baptizing two beloved saints, James and Ella.  And a couple of out of town guests are planning to attend, as well.  (You'll have to show up to see who.)

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church is located here --



437 Coventry Drive
Nashville, TN 37211-4505

We look forward to seeing you there!

GCA's New Sign

Nearly ten years ago, while we were still meeting in a Nashville hotel conference room, we began discussing what we would name our little gathering.  We hammered out a name by writing words on the dry erase board.  The words that jumped out at us were: "Grace" since we were obviously committed to sovereign grace theology, "Christian" because we were definitely Christian, and "Assembly" because it seemed like the most consistent translation of the word ekklesia.  We wanted to place proper emphasis on the fact that the "church" is a people -- an assembly of saints -- not a building.  Hence, the name Grace Christian Assembly.

Unfortunately, that name has also worked against us locally.  In fact, two of our most beloved families resisted visiting GCA for two years because they assumed that we were affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination.  Meanwhile, they were praying that God would raise up a Reformed church here in Smyrna.  They drove by our building regularly and saw the sign, but they never ventured in.  Then they saw an article I wrote in the local paper, checked out the website, and realized that we were exactly what they were looking for.  And now we can't get rid of them.  :-)

We've had several AoG visistors through the years.  You can imagine their discomfort when they discover -- usually somewhere midway through the service -- that there's no one speaking in tongues and they are surrounded by Calvinists (eek!). 

So, earlier this year we had a serious discussion about changing our name.  After all, there's no point in confusing people, and if the name is the problem, then we'll just change it!  But, it turns out that "just" changing our name was a more complicated venture than we had originally realized.  The tax-exempt corporation and our 501(c)3 status is all filed under that name.  It would be costly and time consuming to change all of that.  Back to the drawing board.

The more we discussed it, the more we realized that what we had was really a local problem.  The folk on the Internet have never once questioned our name.  In fact, most Internet visitors just know us as "GCA" and haven't given any real thought to the word "assembly."  This ministry has become identified by our logo.

So we decided to compromise.  In order to get the word "Assembly" off our sign, we wanted a new sign with a new design.  Our hope is that the new design will catch people's eyes and plant the "salvation by grace" phrase in their memories so that they'll check out the website.  Today, as I was driving home and passed our building, I noticed that the new sign was complete.  I quickly snapped a few photos with my Droid phone.

Nothing's going to change at the website.  We're still GCA.  We're still an assembly of Christians who believe in God's free and sovereign grace.  But now the local folk will see our new image.  And hopefully, we will disappoint far fewer tongue-talking visitors.  Man, just say the word "predestination" to an AoG advocate and watch them squirm.  :-)

Finally, I want to thank my friend-of-nearly-33-years, Tim Ellyson up in Michigan, for his graphic design work.  He offered to help and we were happy to take him up on his offer.   As you can see, the end result is quite readable, quite professional, and quite cool.

As always, comments and feedback are welcome.

A "Really Nice Guy" -- Thinking About Dad on Father's Day

It’s Father’s Day, 2010.  I’m thinking about my dad.  We buried him in January of 1997 and I had the great joy of eulogizing him.  It was a joy because some people deserve to have ‘good words’ said about them.  And dad was one of those guys.  Of course, I’m a bit biased.  I’m his son.  

But, back on Sunday, September 8, 1974, the Detroit Free Press said the same thing.

The above picture is a scan of one of my keepsakes.  It’s a newspaper article that told everyone in Detroit what we already knew.  Remember, this is back in the day when people still read newspapers and weren’t distracted by things like the Internet, email, or Tweets.  The article is entitled, “Ronald McDonald: The Secret Business Of Being a Hero.”  Under the photo is the caption, “Ed McClarty, alias Ronald McDonald: Behind the greasepaint lurks a Really Nice Guy who actually likes the kids who worship him.”

Now, I must add that this article had the potential to cause a real stir among the McDonald’s higher-up’s.  There were rules about being Ronald McDonald.  One of those rules was absolute anonymity.  No one was allowed to know who Ronald really was.  Yet, here was this article, along with a photo of dad in full make-up without his wig.  It broke all the rules.  But, it was such a positive article that both the advertising agency and the corporation embraced it.  And dad became a local hero.

I’ll include the text of the whole article in a minute, but people often ask, “So how does a person go about getting that job?”  In dad’s case, it was the result of being "a Really Nice Guy."

When we were living in Livonia, where I spent my high school and college years, my dad worked for the Kroger Company.  He felt that Kroger’s offered more stability than his previous job at American Airlines.  He once told me, “If the economy goes sour, people might stop flying.  But, they have to eat.”  So, with five kids and wife to support, dad gauged the future and went with food over flight.

My dad’s favorite hobby was magic.  He always had a couple of trick coins or a mysteriously-changing two-dollar bill in his pocket.  And he loved the reaction he could get from strangers when he would work a magical effect into his common, everyday interactions with them.  They’d smile and laugh, or stare in disbelief.  And he’d walk off knowing that he had just brightened their day.

Growing up, he taught all of his kids to perform magic tricks.  It was his way of getting us in front of people and helping us get over the natural fear of public speaking.  When I was young, dad and I did shows together for father/son banquets, Boy Scout outings, or wherever they needed some entertainment.  I even had a ventriloquist dummy and did my best to talk without my lips moving.  Dad actively founded and supported various magic clubs, both for adults and kids.  He passed on his love for entertaining to everyone who wanted to learn a card trick or wave a magic wand.  In fact, when he finally “retired,” he opened a magic shop on the square in Shelbyville, TN. 

For most of his adult life, dad was a member and officer of the IBM -- the International Brotherhood of Magicians.  And, if you’re a card-carrying member of the IBM, you can visit the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA.   http://www.magiccastle.com/

It’s a private club, not the sort of place you can just show up and expect to get in.  (By the way, for most of my years in Southern California I was a card-carrying member of the Magic Castle.)  Sometime in 1972, my mom and dad were in Los Angeles for a Kroger convention.  And, of course, dad wanted to visit the Castle.

When my folks arrived at the front door and the valet drove off with their rental car, they waited in line as they overheard the receptionist turning away a couple who had no reservations.  They were all dressed up (the Castle has a dress code), they were hoping to have dinner and see the shows.  But, because they didn’t know anyone who was a member they could not get in.  So dad, being "a Really Nice Guy,” stepped up and said, “Oh, they’re my guests.”  

The rules say that visitors and guests must also have dinner reservations, so dad added the dressed-up strangers to his table.  They turned to the bookcase, said “Open sesame,” and they were in.  Later in the evening, when their dinner reservation time arrived, my parents joined the couple they had helped at the front door.  And, as they ate, they discovered that the man was in advertising.  In fact, he worked for Grey Advertising.  And their client was McDonald’s.  Over dinner, dad told stories, did tricks, told the couple about the Magic Castle’s history and was just … well, he was just himself.  And somewhere in the conversation he mentioned that he and mom lived outside Detroit.  That bit of information caused the ad-man to share that he would be in Detroit soon.  The purpose of his trip was to replace the fellow who had been playing Ronald McDonald in the area.  Apparently, he’d been using his status as Ronald to pick up women.  Not exactly the image the corporation preferred. 

The ad-man looked across the table and sized dad up.  He said that the new Ronald had to be dad’s height, have dad’s eye color, and be a magician.  And, of course, the new Ronald had to be "a Really Nice Guy.”  So, numbers were exchanged and when dad got home to Livonia he told us about the providential meeting.  And we laughed.

But, sure enough, true to his word, the ad-man arrived at our door, make-up artists and costume in tow, and the next thing we knew our dad was wearing make-up and a wig.  More laughter.  A gaggle of advertising types shuffled dad into a car and drove him to Children’s Hospital for his audition.  That evening, he had the gig.  And for the next 24 years we lived with Ronald McDonald.

So, how do you get the job?  Well, it helps if you’re "a Really Nice Guy.”

Okay, so here’s the text of the Detroit Free Press article from September 8, 1974.  The photo and the interview occurred while Ronald McDonald was appearing at the Michigan State Fair, sharing a stage with acts as diverse as The Captain and Tennille, Seals and Crofts, and The Cowsills (remember them?)

                                                   _________________________________

Ronald McDonald: The Secret Business Of Being a Hero
By Gregory Skwira
Free Press Business Writer

He can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound and he doesn’t drive anything as flashy as the Batmobile.  But Ed McClarty, the tall, trim 42-year-old personnel manager for Kroger Co’s Detroit operations, has a secret identity that makes Superman and Batman look like minor leaguers.

Such are the amenities of being a Ronald McDonald.

McClarty is one of about 120 chosen mortals who don the red nose, baggy yellow pants and oversize red oxfords on weekends to visit kids at McDonald’s Corp’s 3,000 outlets, as well as at parades, civic functions and hospitals.  All are hired by local ad agencies, with the exception of THE top banana - actor King Moody, who plays Ronald on the company’s television commercials.

McClarty’s territory includes the entire state of Michigan, which has about 140 McDonald’s outlets, and part of southern Ontario.

The Ronald McDonald concept is a product of the early 1960’s.  A small ad agency in Washington, D.C. created the character for its local franchise accounts, and the national organization liked the idea so much that it began using the clown as its primary national symbol about seven years ago.

McClarty, who has been a magician for 10 years and is a past president of the Detroit Chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, took on the mantle of greatness about two years ago.  A chance meeting with an executive from Grey Advertising’s Detroit office, which handles the McDonald’s account for the state of Michigan, led to a successful tryout.  (The opening occurred when Grey reportedly fired the state’s reigning Ronald for not being clandestine enough about his secret identity.)

In the past two years, McClarty has made over 100 appearances as Ronald, a feat that has taken up most of his weekends.  Although he had no prior clowning experience, he said the transition was easy since he was already a performer.  Also, McDonald’s offers a national training program for its new recruits.  There are regulations governing the makeup, the costume and the conduct, although the details are as closely guarded as the company’s recipe for its secret Big Mac sauce.

McClarty’s act is very low-key; not once are the kids urged to go out and buy sacks-full of burgers.  In addition to the magic tricks, the music and the banter, there is a skit aimed at teaching kids not to litter (McClarty collects junk from the audience, places it in his magic box, and turns it into “recycled” McDonald’s hamburger wrapper, cups, and napkins.  Don’t ask me how he does it.)

There’s no need for a strong sales pitch, of course.  The company, which has sold over 14 billion hamburgers to date, has wide visibility due to a television and radio ad blitzkrieg, and most of the kids in the audience have spent a goodly portion of their childhood under the golden arches snarfing down hamburgers, fries and shakes.

Their loyalty produced total 1973 revenues for the company of $1,507 billion, and both sales and earnings for the first six months of this year rose in excess of 30 percent.

According to Lou Bitonti, a Grey Executive, on the McDonald’s account, the Ronald McDonald appearances are supposed to supplement the company’s advertising rather than be a part of it.  Ronald’s primary role is a goodwill ambassador, and there is a conscious effort not to turn him into a salesman.  “If we commercialize Ronald, we’ve lost it,” Bitonti says. 

And McClarty fits the image perfectly.  You can call him a Really Nice Buy without feeling corny.  He is an accomplished performer: his magic tricks are clever and crisply executed.  Beyond that, however, he has a special way with kids -- he charms them and is delighted by their reaction.

The people at Grey talk a lot about the magic created by the television King Moody clown romping around the mythical McDonaldland Hollywood set.  But if there is indeed magic in the character, it is people like McClarty who infuse it.

Although he spends much of his time at various McDonald’s outlets around the state (the franchisees pay, but Grey won’t say how much), he also spends many hours visiting hospitals.  That’s the high point of the job, he says, seeing sick or disabled kids perk up during those hospital visits.

Although he took vacation time to appear regularly at the Michigan State Fair, McClarty’s clowning is generally confined to weekends.  His Kroger job comes first, he says, and the people at Grey, who make all his bookings, must work around it.  His pay for being Ronald is a well-kept secret, too.

Are there any problems connected with playing the nation’s most famous clown?  Only one, he says: “When I drive down the street waving to people and then realize that I don’t have my costume on.  That produces some strange looks.”

                         ___________________________________________________________

Okay, one more funny story.  When dad was in his Ronald persona he could not drive a car.  He had to be free to wave and interact with kids in other vehicles who might recognize him.  So I often drove him to his appearances.  Other times, we drove to the airport and he would fly in by helicopter.  Sometimes they’d bring him in as part of a parade or on a fire truck, sirens full-blare.  It was always an event. 

At one of his earliest appearances he was approached by a young boy who wanted his autograph.  Being a businessman who signs paperwork all day, he happily obliged and started writing:  E … D … M … c … C … L ... 

And that’s when I nudged him with my elbow, saying, “He wants your autograph RONALD.”  Dad caught himself, stifling his snickers, and grabbed a close-by piece of paper as I ditched the original.  He started again: R … O … N… A …L ... 

That night he sat at the kitchen table and practiced writing it over and over until it came naturally.  Ronald McDonald.  Ronald McDonald.  Ronald McDonald.

He was a good guy, my dad.  And he raised five great kids.  And he stayed true to my mom until his last breath.  He was indeed "a Really Nice Guy.”

Now, of course, my brother and sisters and I will also tell you that he was a firm father;  a strict dad who made sure we knew who was in charge.  But, in the end, that served us well.  Being a dad myself, I now recognize the value of having an authority figure in the home.  And my kids agree. 

Maybe someday I’ll share the story I told at his funeral.  I cannot tell it without crying, so maybe writing it down is the best way to keep his legacy alive for his grandkids. 

But, for now, I just want to wish him a happy Father’s Day. 

I’m grateful every day that he was my dad.

Everlasting Love

 


A couple of years after I arrived here in Middle Tennessee -- some 21 years ago -- I became a partner in a small recording studio in Franklin.  Although it eventually became a 16-track facility, when this recording was made we were working with an AKAI 12-track.  For you audio aficionados, that's the one that required VHS-type tape cassettes.  It was a cumbersome device and it spent as much time in the shop as it did in the studio.  But, through careful planning and patience, we were able to do fairly elaborate recordings with it.

This song is called "Everlasting Love."  It's a genuinely Sovereign Grace song.  The music and lyrics were written by Danny Blair and this song was the title track of a cassette/album I engineered and produced for him.  Danny played piano (a DX7 triggering a Korg sound module).  My friend Tim Rocco played the guitars (several of them).  Tres Sasser played bass.  I programmed the drums (on a Korg DDD-1, no less) and a couple additional keyboard parts.

But, it's the song that matters.  I like songs with meaningful lyrics and Danny did a great job writing this tune.  Enjoy.

Everlasting Love

Words and Music by Danny Blair

Before the world began, God loved His people

As a gift of love, He gave us to His Son

We're His own peculiar treasure

He loves us without measure

He has promised He will not lose one

So in time the Lord came down and paid our ransom

All the debt we owed He fully paid

Now there is no charge against us

No one can condemn us

To all His children, this is what He says --

I've got a love that will never run out on you

Hear your shepherd calling you

By my spirit I am drawing you

I've got an everlasting love for you

In the world you shall have tribulation

Be courageous for I've overcome the world

In your sorrow, in your sadness

Just look beyond this madness

Stand upon the promise of My word

When My pathway leads you through the fire

Just remember I'm the one who placed you there

I'll never leave you nor foresake you

But in my arms I'll take you

When I'm through your pain will disappear --

I've got a love that will never run out on you

(His love never changes)

Hear your Father's promise to you

(It's written in His word)

By my power I am keeping you

(Thine is the kingdom and the power)

I've got an everlasting love for you

I've got a love that will never run out on you

I'll never let you go cause I gave my son for you

By my providence I'm guiding you

I've got an everlasting love for you

Vocals: Danny Blair, Vicki Rygh

Keyboards: Danny Blair, Jim McClarty

Drum programming: Jim McClarty

Bass: Tres Sasser

Guitar: Tim Rocco

Produced/Engineered/Mixed: JMc.

Copyright 1991-2010 Danny Blair

As I Rise and Shine

I am learning how to embed audio to my blog.  It's a little more complex than I originally assumed.
Anyway, here's a song I finished yesterday.  It's not often that I get to write and record music these days.  But I do enjoy it immensely.  It's a great escape from my daily routine.

My friend, Randy Moomaw, writes poems, sonnets, and lyrics daily.  He often forwards his creations to me and I always enjoy his wordsmithing (if, in fact, "wordsmithing" is a word).  A couple of months ago a poem called "As I Rise and Shine" appeared in my in-box.  I was taken by the positive, uplifting attitude of the words and I could immediately hear the melody and basic arrangement in my head.  So, whenever time permitted, I worked on this recording, bit by bit, instrument by instrument.  My voice just isn't what it used to be, but I croaked my way through it.

Then, when it seemed nearly complete, I invited Charlie -- aka "the GCA Symphony Orchestra" -- to come add some violin to it.  [This was my first experience with playing fiddle lines via MIDI and then creating a printable score in ProTools.  Very cool technology.]

So, turn it up.  Dance around the room.  Sing along.  Rise.  Shine.

Are you the same guy?

One of the most frequent questions I get from folk who have "Googled" me (we now live a day and age where "Googled" is a common verb) is "Are you the same guy who used to play drums in the band 707?"

The answer is yes.

New Audio Q&A - Who Is My Neighbor?

Yesterday I finally got around to creating another audio Q&A.  It's called "Who Is My Neighbor?" and is a response to a question from the UK about a comment I made two Wednesdays ago, while teaching through Deuteronomy 6.  It involves both the question, "Does the command to love my neighbor as myself include even the godless heathen?" and the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Hopefully it will serve to clear up my original comments as well as encourage greater thought and consideration of the topic.

And, as always, feedback is welcome.

Here's the link:
Audio QandA Archive

I'm Nearly Done Bragging, I Promise ...

Well, maybe not.   On Saturday Megan graduated Summa Cum Laude.  For the uninitiated, there are three levels of Honors Degrees:

• cum laude - "with honor" (translation: "with praise")
• magna cum laude - "with great honor" (translation: "with great praise")
• summa cum laude - "with highest honor" (translation: "with highest praise")

So, Meg graduated as a President's Award winner for her perfect 4.0 and she graduated with highest honors for graduating with more than 15 credit hours of honors classes while maintaining that GPA.

As you may imagine, that makes me one very proud father.  After all, she's bright and she's cute.  What's not to like?

Also, while we're talking about education, I'd like to point out that Meg was home schooled from eighth grade until graduation.  As a result, she entered college with time management and personal responsibility skills intact and in place.  When I pulled my kids out of the public schools, the principal of the local high school confronted me and asked, "Mr. McClarty, do you think your children can get an adequate education at home?"

I think I can answer that question now

If you read my blog with any regularity, you know how proud I am of my kids.  And I promise I'll stop bragging soon.  But, when someone works this hard and reaps the rewards of her efforts, I think she deserves some praise.  And, on top of being a scholar, my girl's a really good human. 

Someday ... maybe ... she'll do something wrong and I'll have an opportunity to complain.  But, for the moment, I'm just a dad who's bursting at the seams with fatherly pride and tremendous love for my wonderful daughter.  So, bear with me.  It'll be over soon.  I promise.

My Cinco de Mayo Anniversary

Time -- the sages say and experience proves -- flies.  This morning I received my first Happy Cinco de Mayo Facebook greeting and as the day wore on messages appeared in my in-box saying "Happy Anniversary."  Like most men, I had forgotten my own anniversary.

I was ordained into Christian ministry, receiving the office and title of "Elder," on May 5, 2000.  Today was my tenth anniversary.  The truth is that I had previously had opportunity to pursue ordination, but I avoided it until I was confident that it was God's timing and intention rather than my own.  And I was determined to be ordained by men with whom I shared theological camaraderie.  As GCA was growing from a Bible study to a public church, circumstances providentially fell in line and Elder David Morris flew into Lexington, picked up Elder Ward, and the two of them drove down to Nashville, where my ordination was held at Sovereign Grace Baptist Church.  It was a mark in time for me.

Each year I take the time to review Elder Ward's "charge" to me during that service.  It was a moment of tremendous power and kindness.  It was fierce and gentle.  It was pointed, severe, and tremendously encouraging.  I stood like an acolyte at the feet of my mentor and I ingested each word, carefully and fully.  And I wept like a beggar invited to the banquet.

The last ten years have been ... hmmm ... gratifying, overwhelming, occasionally tumultuous, heart-breaking, and grandly reassuring.  I wasn't always faithful, but God was.  I failed frequently and He patched me up, poured oil on my wounds and set me on my way again.  I have tried to live up to the high calling He has place on my life, but I am reminded daily of my weakness and His sufficiency.

It's been worth it all.

But, here's the highlight:  I've been blessed beyond measure to be called the pastor of Grace Christian Assembly.  The people of GCA have put up with me, tolerated my rants, been patient with my failings, succored me when my life came crashing down, supported me as I crawled back up, never shamed me when I was at my worst, encouraged me when I was at my best, guarded me, protected me, loved me, and continue to push me forward in the ministry of declaring God's free and sovereign grace.  I simply could not ask for more.  GCA is what it is today because of those people.

If they'll have me, I'd be extremely thankful to labor with them for another ten.

Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace ....

Just a few observations

This past weekend, Middle Tennessee got some rain.  Lots of rain.  In fact, we got 1/4 of our annual rainfall in just two days.  And it's been devastating.  If you've seen the pictures, you know what I mean.

As I write, much of downtown Nashville is still under water.  Communities in Williamson County and Bellevue are, too.  The venerable Opryland Hotel had to be evacuated, the Titan's stadium is a swimming pool, and industries up and down the Cumberland River have lost millions of dollars in equipment and dry goods.  Worse, families are uprooted.  Homes are uninhabitable.  Septic and sewer systems have backed up into the muddy water and mold is going to be an ongoing worry.  Families without flood insurance (which would be most of them, considering that the vast majority of the ruined homes are not in flood plains), have to figure out how, and if, they'll rebuild. 

Lives are ruined.  It's a mess.  In fact, in many ways it's on par with what New Orleans went through a few years back.

But, ummm ....

Where's our telethon?  Where's the national outpouring of concern?  Where's the parade of celebrities encouraging everyone to pitch in and help save Nashville?  Will the president visit to see the damage?  Will Hollywood raise money on our behalf?  Can we look forward to Katrina-like aid?

No.  It's probably not coming.  But, you know what?  That's okay, because here's what I HAVE seen:

I've seen pictures and video of abandoned grocery stores.  But, the windows are still intact.  I've seen businesses and electronic centers closed up.  But, I have not seen any looting.  I have not seen angry mobs busting windows and stealing stuff.  There have been no riots.  There have been no marauding gangs.  There have been no murders.

I've heard firsthand reports (from my own brother, no less) of people with boats who worked tirelessly for upwards of 36 straight hours, rescuing their neighbors, their friends, and total strangers, from the rising waters.  One woman was sitting upstairs on her bed with the water up to her neck when the boat arrived.  She's fine, by the way.

I've heard stories of young people caught in raging water while their parents watched, only yards away, powerless to save them.  A string of brave, strong men banded together, held each other, and dragged the young couple to safety.  And they're fine, by the way.

I watched video of two horses, stranded in a field that had become a lake, huddled together against the torrent of water that rose to their bridles, frightened but steady.  And I watched men and women in boats gently pull alongside and grab their bridles, careful not to be pulled in themselves.  The last I saw of them, the horses were being led slowly to higher ground.  And they're fine, by the way.

I've seen this entire community pull together.  Today there was a radio marathon on all of the local Clear Channel stations, raising awareness and raising money for the people who need it most.  It was going, immediately and directly, to people who needed clothes, food, toothbrushes, medicine, shelter.  No red tape.  No overhead.  Just help.

I've seen neighbors take in strangers.  I've seen people instantly gather clothes, furnishings, the stuff of life, and just give it away because "it was the right thing to do."  And everyone who has lived through this storm has similar stories to tell -- of bravery, of selflessness, of caring, of kindness.



The last few days I've seen good, decent, hard-working people band together against terrible circumstances.   They didn't ask for anything.  They didn't come looking for handouts.  They looked for the opportunity to help.  They pitched in and did whatever they could.  And they'll continue that way until things are set right.  Right now, I'm feeling pretty darned good about Tennessee.

So, if Hollywood does not come to our aid, no problem. 

Because we're fine, by the way.