One of God's Servants Goes Home

This afternoon, one of God's servants went home to be with his Savior. He was not a pastor of the largest church in the country. He was not even the pastor of the largest church in our small town. He didn't have a radio program, nor did he have a television "ministry" that brought him fame and fortune. He simply was a faithful pastor of a church for over forty years, who loved the people God gave him to shepherd.

He was one of the most engaging personalities I have ever met, always having a kind word for everyone. A consummate kidder, he had a way of brightening your day with a "Good evening" when it was morning, and a "Good morning" at night. He also never seemed to be able to keep holidays straight. He was a loving father and grandfather. I had the privilege of teaching and coaching two of his granddaughters. His love for them, and their love for him was evident.

He was an old school pastor, and there things with which I disagreed. Regardless of the times I might not agree with what he said in a sermon, or some point regarding how to live as a follower of Jesus, I was able to learn a great deal from him. One thing that I definitely knew was the love he had for Jesus, and the joy he found in being a child of the Father. He was one of the most godly men I have known, and was a preacher who was also a pastor to the church where he ministered.

Pastor George Schultz, it was a pleasure knowing you and learning from you. I know you're happy to be with your Savior. It wouldn't surprise me if the first thing you said to Jesus was, "Happy New Year." You were one of God's great servants, and I know the Father has already said to you, "Well done!"

World Vision Wednesday

See how the gift of a cow changed the lives of a family in Sri Lanka



To find out more about giving to help the least of these around the world, see this.

Weekend Wanderings

My two weeks of "forced vacation" are coming to an end. It's back to work tomorrow. While it will be a bit of a shock to get up earlier in the morning, I am looking forward to getting back to the kids I work with and the softball team. March Madness continues, although the teams I cheer for the most are all out. My Musketeers made it to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the last five years, but ran into a very good Baylor team. Maybe next year. The trees are almost completely leafed out here in the sunny South. Thankfully the yellow pollen that covers everything will be gone in just a little while. Everything is about two weeks ahead here, so the festival our town holds every year will happen this year after a lot of the flowers have bloomed.

Here are the links for the week:

Frank Viola on our audience.
M. Morford says being a Christian is easy.
Ronnie McBrayer on faith.
Derek Leman on hesed in the Bible (HT: Scot McKnight).
The Mad Theologian on blaming Satan.

God talk.
Lost in Gethsemani.
Pastor as bouncer...
Book review: The Power of Weakness.
Impacted by others?

Matt posts about the best investment.
Nate on crashing.
Anna on lessons from a dog.
Julie on The Hunger Games.
Chaplain Mike reviews How God Became King.

Tats for tatfans.
Christian celebrities.
Waving the white flag.
How-to guide for spontaneous meal prayers.

Rachel Held Evans on why she left the church (small c), and why she returned to the Church (capital C).
The last loaf of bread.
Alan Knox has a series on the church that perseveres. Part 1 is here.
Arthur Sido on the bigness of the Gospel.

Lessons Learned From a Cat

Keith Giles at subversive1 has a guest post written by his wife Wendy titled Lessons Learned from Tiger. The post is about their cat Tiger, and the lessons she learned from caring for him after he was injured in a fight. I think the lessons she learned are lessons that we all can take to heart in our lives, especially in our relationships with others and with God. God spoke to me through these lessons. Maybe there is something here for you as well.

• Feeling trapped can make you destructive.
• Sometimes help can look a lot like punishment.
• We can mistake family for strangers because of smell/appearance.
• It's hard to eat and drink on your own when you're wearing the "cone of shame."
• That's when you step in and feed them by hand.
• Medicine that's hidden in food goes down more easily.
• The treatment against infection is sometimes painful.
• The one stuck outside wants desperately to be inside. The one inside desperately wants to be outside.
• We can't always see the big picture.
• Two weeks seems like an eternity.
• It's awful to not be able to scratch your own itch, and such a relief when someone comes to help.
• It's easier when you don't fight it.
• Wounds require a great deal of care to heal properly.
• Fighting can be quite costly and painful.

She goes on to list four more lessons that she found "much more touching and beautiful."

• God didn't set a limit on how much He was willing to pay for my sake.
• He understand the groaning of my heart which are much too deep for words.
• He is patient and attentive to detail in caring for my needs which continue throughout my life, and not just two weeks.
• He is compassionate even when I am frustrating.

World Vision Wednesday

Tomorrow is World Water Day. Water is something most of us take for granted, but clean water is in short supply in many parts of the world.

From World Vision:
"It’s a reality faced by children and entire communities in places like rural Zambia. The absence of clean, safe water can undermine all other efforts to fight poverty in a region. This World Water Day, March 22, we remember the pain that many children face because they don’t have clean water — and how we can help change their situation."

To find out more, go here.

Weekend Wanderings

As you may have read in my last post, I've been off work most of this week. It was nice sleeping in a bit, and I was able to catch up on some things that needed to be done around the house and in the yard. Don't worry. I was careful and didn't further strain anything. I have found that I would rather be on the field coaching than in the stands watching. It has been warm and sunny this week, even though Spring doesn't officially begin until Wednesday. The groundhog missed it this year, at least here in the sunny South. It remains to be seen if this is a preview of a hot summer.

Anyway, here are the links:

What would St. Patrick do?
Nate is going home.
Fishing for men.
Lent and mud season.
This is not too far from how some see Jesus and the Bible

Unity as witness?
Good post from Alan Knox.
A good idea, or not? (HT: iMonk)
Good question.
Goldman Sachs and church.

Grown-cold love.
Messing up the lyrics
McDonaldization.
Lent and forgiveness.
Sinner saved by grace?

Jared Wilson on grace.
Becoming spiritual community.
Good question from Jon Acuff.
Extreme hovering.
Novocaine.

A Gospel of unity.
Living Water.
Brokenness.
Getting to know Patrick.
A refuge in the wilderness.
Is anyone else afflicted by this?

Have a blessed week!

Letting Go Part 2

I think I must be hardheaded or something. It seems that God had to slow me down a bit more in order to teach me that I am not the one in charge here. A week ago, I lifted a box containing softball uniforms and felt something pop in my lower abdomen where I had hernia surgery about 12 years ago. I went to the doctor on Friday and was informed that it was a strain. Needless to say, I was relieved. Unfortunately the story doesn't end there.

On Monday, I was informed by the personnel office of the school district that I was not supposed to work for two weeks. The doctor had written on the report that I was not allowed to do any heavy lifting, bending, stooping, etc. for two weeks. I figured it wouldn't be a problem because I don't do any of those things in my job. Unfortunately, because I work in special ed., there is the slight (read miniscule) possibility that I might have to do something like that. So, I was sent home until I was cleared by the doctor to come back. Normally, I wouldn't complain too loudly about a two week vacation in March, except for the fact that I also am not allowed to coach my softball team during that time. There is another teacher in the school who was able to step in and take the team, along with my two assistants, and I am grateful for that.

The hard part for me is letting go of the team for two weeks. There are all kinds of scenarios that I can come up with while I am not there. I went to the game on Tuesday to show my support for the girls, and it was hard to sit and watch. Between that and being at home without being able to do a whole lot, it's hard. I'm able to do a bit of work around the house and in the yard, but it's not quite the same as doing what I get paid to do. I've had to slow down at a time when I'm usually pretty busy, and my temptation is to complain about it and then waste the time. I'm trying to relax and listen to the voice of my Shepherd in all of this, and trust his will. It's not an easy thing to do, but hopefully I will learn more about letting my Father lead me and show me what he wants me to do.

There is definitely on good thing in all this. I get to watch all of the NCAA Tournament. :)