“Hey, you Mr. Combs?” announced a big fellow in a Federal Express uniform as he entered the church office.

“Yes.” I replied.

“With Wilson Community Church?” he continued.

“Yes, that’s right.” I said.

“Well, I got your hot tub here. Where do you want it dropped off?” He asked.

“Hot tub? I don’t think… Wait a minute. Let me see your invoice.” I asked. “This is not a hot tub. It’s our portable baptismal!” I said with a laugh.

“Ohhh.” He said. “Now, that makes better sense.”

“We think it does too.” I replied.

Our portable baptismal arrived this week. We went in together with two other portable churches to share the cost of this $3400 “hot tub.” In the past we’ve waited for warm weather to hold our baptism services, but we wanted to start letting people follow in obedience as quickly as they committed. Plus, we thought it would be great to have the baptisms during our regular Sunday services.

This baptismal is really cool. It holds 400 gallons of water, has a pump, and a water heater. It has room for 2 or 3 people at a time. And it’s easy to assemble and take apart and fits in a closet for storage.

Discovery Church in Greenville will be “baptizing” our baptismal on Sunday, February 17th. Since they’re going to use it first, we’ve asked them to figure out the best setup/take-down procedure. They also will be building storage cases for us to transport and store it in.

“As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” (Acts 8:36-38 NIV)

We already have five people waiting for baptism. Now, we can tell them, “Look, here is water! Why shouldn’t you be baptized?”

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 NIV).

The Apple Corporation has caught a cultural wave. Complexity is out and simplicity is in. Their “i” products have captured the art of simplicity: iPod, iMac, iPhone, iTunes, etc. The “i” probably started out to symbolize “internet,” but it has come to mean “i” can handle this. “i” can use this simple, yet powerful product.

We make Christianity too complicated. In this complex and chaotic world that we live, we are all looking for simple. Well, good news (It is the Good News by the way)! Following Jesus is simple. He simply says, “Follow me.”

This coming Sunday we conclude our 4-part series entitled: “iChurch: How Three Simple Commitments Make Big Changes.” This has been a powerful time for our church. We’ve seen many decisions to become Christ-followers. We’ve seen many deepen their commitment to celebrate their relationship to God through regular worship attendance and daily Bible reading and prayer.

This past week two brand new Community Groups were started in homes as people made the commitment to connect.

Now, this Sunday we will conclude with the importance of making the commitment to contribute. Jesus wants us to be more than consumers. He calls us to be contributors.

It’s amazing how three simple commitments to …

1. Celebrate God by giving Him the first day of every week and the first part of every day.
2. Connect to God’s people by meeting weekly in homes to devote themselves to the apostle’s teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).
3. Contribute to God’s Kingdom by offering Him your time, talent, and treasure.

… Can produce such powerful results!

“And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple” (1 Peter 2:5 NLT).

“Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:17-18 NIV).

It took a year and a half to plan, build, and photograph this spectacular “Lego Church.” Over 75,000 lego pieces were used to produce this 7 foot tall, 5 1/2 foot long, by 3 foot wide model. It seats nearly 1400 lego “people.” This Lego church represents a ton of human effort and expense.

If only building a real church were so easy.

Then again, I guess it wouldn’t be so hard if we would remember who the true builder is. If we would submit to being the “living stones” (or legos), then the Master Builder would do the building. If we would “be” the church, then Jesus would “build” the church.

I want to be part of a church that Jesus builds.

“Our bodies have many parts, but these parts don’t all do the same thing. In the same way, even though we are many individuals, Christ makes us one body and individuals who are connected to each other” (Romans 12:4-5 GW).

I love Legos.

I’ve been buying them for my kids since they were born. We’ve bought Legos for them every Christmas until it’s become a family tradition. And don’t think we’ve stopped because they are all grown up and married either. We still put them in their stockings. We even got our new son-in-law, Abbott, into Legos this year.

I’m not sure that the boys would admit it, but I think they liked getting Legos better than clothes this Christmas.

I love the way we play together and build things together with Legos. I love the way they snap together in nearly limitless ways. You can really let your creativity soar with these little blocks. You can build almost anything if you just have enough blocks to snap together and the creativity and vision to do it.

You have to have a lot of blocks because only one block won’t do. You have to have bunches of them. The more the better. And you also have to be aware that one block can’t connect to all the blocks. In fact, one block is pretty much “snapped out” after it connects to five or six other blocks. There just isn’t enough capacity in one block.

I’ve noticed that with people. I want to connect to everyone, but I can’t really connect to more than four or five in a really close fashion. That’s why I love small groups. In a small group (like our WCC Community Groups) you can get really connected to one another the way God intended.

Then, we can connect your small group to every other one and we build a great church. A great church must grow large and small at the same time. All of our needs are met through our connection to God and one another.

As God said of the first man that he made, “It’s not good for man to be alone.”

So, make like a Lego and get connected!

Am I the father of the bride or the officiating minister? Well, this past Saturday I was both.

It has been my honor and privilege to lead all three of my children and their future spouses through premarital counseling and to officiate at their weddings. But I was emotionally unprepared for this third one. With my two sons I could somewhat concentrate on the role of minister. Sure, I was affected by seeing my tall, handsome sons standing there, but I was pretty much doing and saying what I always do and say at the many weddings I’ve performed.

With my daughter, Erin, I had to do and say something I’ve never done and said before. I had to escort her down that long aisle and answer the question: “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

I answered, “Her mother and I.”

As I put her hand into Abbott’s, instead of taking a seat next to my wife as is the custom, I walked onto the platform and became the minister. Believe me when I say that it wasn’t an easy transtition for me.

It was a beautiful ceremony and everything came off wonderfully. At the end I made the presentation.

“It is my honor to now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Abbott Mitchell!”

After they and the wedding party moved down the aisle I reverted back to my role as father and husband to escort my dear wife. I still had my emotions in check.

It wasn’t until the reception that I felt the self-control on my emotion slip. As I stood with an open umbrella over my Erin, I said to her and to Abbott,

“This umbrella symbolically represents my God-given authority and protection over my daughter. She has been mine. I now relinquish this spot to you, Abbott. She is yours and the role is now yours too. May God bless you both.”

And so I finished my day of double duty.

I haven’t had this kind of confusion of emotion for years.

This week is my daughter’s wedding. We’ve planned it for months. But unexpectedly (This is always the case), my family lost my mother’s sister on Saturday morning. I was getting ready for visiting missionaries to have dinner with us on Saturday when I received the call from my brother.

“Gary.”

“Hey Donnie, what’s up?”

“Bad news. Aunt Betty died this morning.”

So, we took care of our guests for the weekend. We had church. Then, we got in the car and drove to Virginia for a funeral. You don’t plan for funerals. You just respond and go.

I remember a few years ago when we had a similar week. Robin and I had just found out we were pregnant with our first child (Stephen). We were elated. In the same week, Robin’s paternal grandfather died.

I wrote a song for my father-in-law and my wife that week. The chorus went like this:

“An old man dies,

     a child is born.

A life to shout.

     a death to mourn.”

I suppose I’m not the first to feel both the joy and sadness of life at once. King Solomon certainly spoke of it in the book of Ecclesiates as he said,

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die… a time to weep, and a time to laugh.”

I’m drawing on the grace of God this week. I’m praying that it will extend to my entire family. God gives us the capacity to laugh and to mourn at its appropriate time.

In Christ I can clear the emotional confusion. Today, I can weep. Tomorrow I can laugh. Somedays I do both. It’s OK. Christ gives us this grace.

In Christ I can mourn at a funeral and celebrate at a wedding. Neither was a surprise to Him. He knew the hour for both beforehand.

We had a great time this weekend with Larry Benson, his wife Sheila and two of his three daughters!

Larry is with Alternative Missions and serves as the director for the Bay Islands, Honduras mission. He is a man with a passion for unleashing people for ministry.

His Sunday message resonated throughout our church as people heard his call to say, "Yes!" to God this year. I think our WCCers heard this call.

We’re already prayerfully planning on how to help Brandy VanderMeer (who also spoke Sunday) get back to the mission with Larry. And also how to help our WCCers take part as well.

Perhaps, you will want to spend a couple of weeks building/teaching/worshiping with someone in another land this year. Perhaps it will be in Honduras!

Connecting and working with Larry and his team is a strategic "Yes!" for us and for the Kingdom.

Life has gone by faster than expected.

Last night I met with my daughter Erin and her fiance Abbott for their last premarital counseling session. Their wedding day is just a week from this coming Saturday. We made some final plans for the wedding. And believe it or not we discussed what God’s Word says about intimacy between a husband and a wife.

Imagine me sitting in my dining room with these two, reading selections from Song of Solomon and 1 Corinthians. I had them read aloud the passages that describe the feelings that a man has for his wife and vice versa. I told them that sex was designed by God to make the two become one. I told them that it was a gift only to be opened after a wedding. I told them that it was for consummation, procreation, and recreation. I told them it was only for those who make a life long commitment to one another.

Afterwards, I asked if they had any questions. They didn’t.

Erin said, “Nope.”

Abbott cleared his throat and said, “No sir.”

I suppose it is a bit uncomfortable for a daughter and even harder for a future son-in-law to have such a discussion.  But I was doing my job as a pastor and as a father. Besides, they asked me to do the wedding. So, they got the wedding along with all six premarital sessions, two books to read, one workbook, and much homework.

The way I see it, I’m not in the wedding business. I’m in the marriage business. Sure, we have to plan a ceremony, but I’m more interested in planning and preparing couples for a lifelong commitment together. The main thing I try to teach them is to love Jesus with priority and He will keep their marriage strong.

All three of my children have honored me by asking me to perform their weddings. With Erin we’ve had to work out how I’m supposed to both be the father who gives her away and the pastor who officiates.

I think we’ve got it worked out on paper. I’m just not so sure we have it worked out in my heart yet.

The photo above was taken in my dining room during the Christmas holidays. Our dining room wall is covered with family portraits, but I was surprised to see the old black and white on the wall behind Abbott and Erin so clearly. The portrait is of me at three along with my mother and father. Both of them have gone on to be with the Lord. As for me, well, I’m not three anymore.

And neither is Erin. I remember when she was three. Her portrait at three is also hanging on my dining room wall. But now she’s getting married.

I suppose we’ll have to make room on the dining room wall for a new portrait.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath” (Psalm 39:4-5 NLT).

“But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing. Yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God” (Isaiah 49:4 NIV).

About seven years ago I discovered the necessity of getting away with God at the end of the year. It helps me look back and consider how we did on that year’s goals and plans. It helps me get centered in the present and consider where I am now. And it helps me prepare to face the new year.

I’ve made taking an annual study/contemplative break part of my annual calendar. It’s kind of like being the first person walking on the beach early in the morning. You can see your footprints in the sand without the distraction of all the other tracks that accumulate during the day.

I think we all have a desire to see our own footprints, our own mark on this world. We all desire significance. It seems to be something that God has put in all of us, a kind of holy ambition to matter for something or to someone.

But then the waves come crashing ashore. A new day dawns. We rise to walk out and can find no evidence that we ever walked this way before. Where is the significance in this? What lasting impression have we made?  Our lives are like a “breath.” We labor, but to what purpose?

As I walked along the shore this morning I asked God about this. “I’m getting up in years now you know, Lord. The first few times I ran down this beach I left deep, dangerous prints in the sand. Now, I’m a little slower, the prints are not as deep, but they are better defined. What does it matter? You will wash them all away during the night.”

Continuing down the windy coast, my hands in my pockets, my eyes on the horizon, I listened for the One who still speaks.

I sensed Him saying, “You’ve misunderstood. The waves aren’t washing your prints away. They are just offering you a fresh beach to walk on. Your significance is safe with Me. I’ve kept record of every moment of your life. Nothing is lost.”

The wind on my face now felt like His gentle touch. My reward is in His hand. I am free to walk or run on a fresh, new beach. He will keep the score.

I wonder what tracks we’ll leave in 2008?

I know a lot of people have been upset in recent days that everyone doesn’t say "Merry Christmas." I surely have no disagreement with their distress. It is after all the name of the season we celebrate. Those who want to generalize things and leave the Christian message out by saying "Happy Holidays" are certainly fooling no one. This is Christmas and we all know it.

But this Christmas someone in our church has caused me to start a new saying. Not that I would take the meaning out of Christmas, but this WCCer has given me such a gift that it has caused me to say something totally new for the season.

For I have found a Honda under the tree… for me!

So, forgive me for saying, "Happy Honda Days!" Because I’ll be the one in leathers and Dingo boots astride my mighty, straight piped steed.

I haven’t been surprised at Christmas like this since I was a kid. I’m thankful for the friendship and love that a personal gift like this bestows. It’s good to know that people appreciate what you do and the friendship you offer.

Now I’m looking for fellow cyclers to join me. Wanna go for a ride?