Rappin’ With Rick

I know it’s three strikes and you’re out, but you’re still in the game with four fouls. So let’s just say we’ve had three fouls.

Our first foul was announcing we were going to dedicate our new gym at the Thanksgiving Dinner. That didn’t happen
due to unexpected delays and significant changes. The second was when we announced it would be on February 15th, the third was when we re-scheduled it for March 15th, and now we’re planning to step up to the plate again, on April 12th. Yes, we’ve set another date, and we’re even going to publicly announce it to the community.

After discovering a failure to put a needed vapor barrier under the concrete, grinding the surface, applying a moisture barrier on top of it, adding a thin layer of cement, and then installing the flooring and painting the lines, it’s done. Our
volleyball season is already behind us, but the door to the future enjoyment of our gym is just around the corner.

We’re planning to invite the community to an open house to be held from 2-4 on Sunday afternoon, April 12th. We want
everyone to have a chance to see what Jack and Bonnie made possible for church activities and sports-related evangelistic outreach. After our guests have left, we’ll have an all-church pizza party, officially dedicate the gym, and together start enjoying an amazing gift.

The devil no doubt thought he had won when the Son of God was crucified, but three days later the empty tomb made it
very evident that he had lost. Our prayer is that lots of young people, families, and individuals will find a church that loves
and serves a living risen Savior when they come to play in our gym.

God Bless, Rick

I don’t know of any preachers, other than me and Mark, who make actual manuscripts of their sermons available before they preach them. I started doing so years ago after my son-in-law asked if I could make printed copies available. I did so, thinking some might be picked up after church. But, to my surprise, they were being picked up before church. So I started putting them on the sermon table along with the outlines.

I soon came to realize that some like to just listen, some like to fill in outlines, and some like to read along. I really don’t care which is done, as long as the message is being received.

Of late, sixty-five copies seems to meet the need. I do, however, try to keep a few on the table in case someone misses one, and would like a full set for later reference. If any aren’t left on the table after church, I look for ones that have been left behind in the pews. Usually I find a half dozen or so, but a couple weeks ago I found fifteen or twenty.

In case you’re wondering why, so did I. The sermon was on adultery and sexual immorality. When I shared my concern, it was noted that having a sermon on adultery seen in someone’s home might raise suspicious thoughts. I do hope that was the reason, and not that the message was being dismissed. And I do hope what I shared from Augustine is remembered.

When struggling with sin in his life, he confessed that when he let the enemy convince him to do what he wanted to do, what he wanted soon led to wicked desire or lust. Yielding to lust created habit, and habit unresisted created a kind of necessity. What started as a simple desire to do what he wanted, instead of what God wanted, soon became a chain that shackled him in cruel slavery.

Freedom from his slavery to sin came when a voice told him to take up and read. He took up the Bible, and read from Romans 13. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts.”

When struggling with sinful habits, that is the only answer.

God Bless, Rick

James warns us not to say what we’re going to do today or tomorrow, but it’s so hard not to set a date, assuming things will work out. We thought we were going to be in the gym in time for our Thanksgiving dinner, but that didn’t happen.

A break in our water line had to be repaired before we could cut the trench for a gas line to the gym, and weather held up installing the HVAC units and the external ductwork. We also decided to put a balcony on top of our planned storage units, and equipment that was ordered was often delayed.

Last week, however, things really got rolling. Insulation was blown in the ceiling, the doors between the fellowship hall and the gym were installed, the heat detectors for the fire alarm system were attached, and the basketball hoops were delivered. The gym floor is scheduled to be laid, boundaries painted, and holes for the volleyball pole sockets drilled this week and next. I think it’s safe to say, Lord willing, we will dedicate the gym on February 15th.

While thinking about this dedication, I couldn’t help but think about the dedication of our church building back in 1976. We planned to dedicate it the first Sunday after we moved in. The Sunday before we moved in we marched from the storefront on the square to our new building carrying flags and singing. We knew there was still a lot to do, and lots to move. When we got to the church we held a prayer meeting, and I’ll never forget the prayer of Jerry Aulich. “Praise God, Bless His People. Fill this Church, and Deliver the Steeple.”

The steeple arrived, and on Saturday while the men were hoisting it in place, the women were moving furniture, arranging rooms, and putting books on my still sagging shelves.

Hopefully everything will ready to go for the dedication of our gym, and the first church volleyball game of the season, on the 15th.

If not, we’ll do it on the 22nd, or…

God Bless, Rick

In December we sing Joy to the World to close our worship service, but every other Sunday we sing “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Those words are from Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the entire Bible. And it’s a chapter that focuses entirely on the Bible.

Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem of 22 stanzas, each beginning with a Hebrew letter in alphabetical order. Every stanza has 8 verses, and each line begins with the letter that introduces the stanza. Nearly every verse speaks of God’s words, laws, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, or ordinances.

At first glance it may seem repetitious, but when meditated upon it opens up the mind to the wonders of God’s Word. And the more you contemplate it, the more you fall in love with the Word of God; the written Word and the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

Matthew Henry fell in love with the Bible after his father encouraged him to take one verse of Psalm 119 every morning to meditate on, and thereby go through the psalm twice a year. His commentaries, written 300 years ago, are still used by preachers and Bible students today. William Wilberforce, who fought to abolish the slave trade, and David Livingston, the famous explorer and missionary in Africa, memorized the entire psalm.

I’m not going to suggest that you, or I, even try to memorize all 176 verses. But it might be good for us to end each day’s Bible reading with a verse from Psalm 119. And if you don’t have a plan for reading through the Bible in a year, I would suggest the Daily Reading Bible NASB. It can be purchased from Amazon for installation on Kindle. I’ve used it for six years, and plan on adding a verse to each day’s reading this year.

And if you want to contemplate Psalm 119 with others, I invite you to join our Wednesday Night Bible Study. We’re planning to dig into it, one stanza at a time, beginning January 7th at 6:30.

God Bless, Rick

We had hoped our new gym might be ready in time for Thanksgiving, but we decided no one would want to eat in a cold, dark, unfinished gymnasium. So we ate a delicious meal in a wonderfully crowded, and beautifully decorated, fellowship hall.

A big thank you all who had a hand in making for a great thanksgiving dinner. And as has been the case for a number of years, special thanks must go to Rhonda Bales. She and Dave, along with Lori and Gary, Dixie and Bob, Carole and Jack, and many others have always made sure we have plenty to eat, and a great time at our annual dinner.

This year another couple has literally stepped up to the plate. Elizabeth and Zach Wright have not only volunteered to join the team, they are going to take the lead in preparing our for big events so Rhonda can semi-retire. I do hope, however, that Elizabeth won’t get too busy to make more of those pretzel rolls.

Now, back to the gym. As Amos said, I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet, so I’m not going to prognosticate as to the completion date of our new gym. We did set a target date of Thanksgiving just
to keep the ball rolling, but we’ve made some changes along the way that have slowed things down a bit.

The biggest change to our plans is to put a balcony on top of the storage areas. After realizing that balls would end up there on a regular basis, and a ladder would be needed to retrieve them, thought was given to a stairway. That led to thoughts of a balcony, and then the need for a railing, and a purpose for the balcony.

A balcony in a gym would, of course, be a great place for a set of bleachers from which to watch kids of all ages play basketball, volleyball and pickleball. And it would be a really neat place for teens
to just hang out, and for classes.

As I said, I’m not a prophet. There is still a lot of work to do and equipment to install, but I am hopeful that the next time we play volleyball together it will be in our new gym.

God Bless, Rick