Randy Wray’s Blog

We concluded our service last week with this Fransiscan Blessing:

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

May we all be so blessed.

It’s true and I’ll tell you why.

We finished up the major piece of the remodel yesterday.  The huge beams that we placed in the attic are attached to the posts that are cemented into the ground into the 2 x 2 x 2 block of cement.  Relax, we didn’t do all that yesterday.  Just catching you up.

Monday I attached all the rafters to the short wall we were taking out and removed the wall and yes was surprised (in that relieved sort of way) that nothing fell.

I also attached most of the rafters from the long wall but waited until yesterday to start dismantling the long wall.  I had everything ready to go, double checked and inspected by a trusted carpentry expert, made a few final improvements and began to dismantle.  One rafter was hanging free because I had to remove a header to get to it.  No big deal, everything around it was secured so it was not an issue.

I got everything removed and went back up into the attic to attach the last rafter.  I was standing on secure rafters and stepping over the mammoth beam and my right foot was headed directly for the loose rafter.  Immediately the messages were relayed to my brain . . . abort, abort, loose rafter don’t step on it.  In a slightly hunched position straddling the mammoth beam with my left foot on a the opposite side of the beam I attempted to change the trajectory of my right foot to avoid the loose beam.  This slight shift of weight and redirection caused me to slip and a stepped right through the ceiling.

The good news is I refrained from letting a stream of obscenities fly.

The bad news is I was straddling the beam.

The better news is surely this act qualifies me to consider a future career with England Family Mortuary.

At the recommendation of my contractor I starting reading this book before attending the NOC. 

Interestingly enough much of what was being said and who was saying it was represented at the conference. 

Here’s an excerpt from the dust jacket:

Christianity has an image problem.

Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world.

But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. 

Using descriptions like "hypocritical," "insensitive," and "judgmental," young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of . . . unChristian. 

I recommend the book as a starting point for dialog regarding our image problem.

I know what it’s like to sit through something where the presenter is fired up and excited about the material and the presentee is not so enthused.

Much like watching the vacation video or looking at the vacation pictures that belong to someone else.

So, I’m going to try and walk that fine line to tell you about the NOC.

Here are just a few reasons why I thought it was the best conference I’ve attended:

1.  Top notch, top shelf programming.  It was first class in every respect.  This is important because how you present (quality of presentation) says much of what you think about what you are presenting. 

2.  Eclectic, diverse presentations from the general sessions to the workshop classes.  It was not a conference in the vacuum of a particular religious tribe or way of doing things.  We weren’t spoon fed or force fed.

3.  Most conference speakers fill your mind with all these great things that they can’t even do in their own local church.  The speakers at this conference were sharing what God was doing among those who made themselves available to work with God in their cities.

4. Related to the last - I’m energized and affirmed by what has been on my heart relating to outreach.  The consistent message for effective outreach was quit trying to get people to come to your church and get your church to go out to the people.

5.  Resources were given away.  Yes, you could purchase any number of things but top notch quality stuff (like we would actually use) was given away freely by many as a ministry blessing. 

The consistent theme from the conference relating to outreach was quit trying to program to get people to come to church.  Instead, get the church to go out and be Jesus.

It is the best conference I’ve ever attended. 

I may or may not go to another conference.

I’ve already registered for this conference for next year. 

Three of us have traveled today to San Diego for the National Outreach Conference.

We meet up with two people from the Davis Park church in Modesto.

They said it’s the best conference they have ever attended.

An observation that was shared with me this past week as an expression of sorrowful disappointment: 

"The meanest people I’ve met have been church people."

It’s true. 

And while I know that some of the nicest people I’ve ever met have been church people it just doesn’t seem to balance out.

There is a difference in the behavior of spiritually immature people (babes in Christ) and the cruel behavior of "raised in the church" people.

One we expect.  The other we don’t.

We can sure get fired up to battle against what we’ve been lied to believe are the heinous social ills of a self-righteously proclaimed "perverse" society. 

And pay no attention to:

Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.  (Ephesians 4:32  NCV)

It seems to me we should teach or preach no other message to our church people until we’ve figured out how to be kind and loving to each other, until we’ve figured out how to forgive each other just as God forgave us in Christ. 

We’ve already lost the battle when Christians are viewed as church people and not Christ people.

"I give you a new command: Love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you.  All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other."  (John 13:33-34)

You can’t start describing that many events with the words "gratuitous nudity and stray words aside . . ."

For example:

Gratuitous nudity and stray words aside it was a fitting funeral service.

In spite of the gratuitous nudity and stray words the elders meeting went well.

We watched the movie Stranger Than Fiction this past weekend and (here it goes) gratuitous nudity and stray words aside it was a compelling, captivating film.

We’d let the kids watch it if it were not for the gratuitous nudity (a pointless locker room shower scene).

The story caught me, the plot intrigued me and the moral dilemma really struck home.

I wish movies were released as the director intended (that whole creative, artistic thing) and that on the DVD you could choose a G or PG version for that whole trying to raise a spiritually sound family thing.

But I suspect the real allure is to see how many odd sentences we could create using the words "gratuitous nudity and stray words aside . . ."

The volleyball team closed out their perfect season by winning the tournament. Congratulations to the SCS Lady Eagles.

Unfortunately the SCS soccer team (of which Reese is a member) didn’t fare so well in the tournament. They played hard and the year with second place in league and 5th place in the tournament.

The did get to miss a whole day of school playing a game so that had to count for something, right?

The Sierra Christian School Eagles Volleyball Team will compete in the end of season tournament today.

The team is made up of seven eight graders and thus this will be their last series of official games.

I’m sure we can conjur up another staff volleyball game down the road.

The team went undefeated this season and is heavily favored to win the tournament as well.

That’s a whole bunch of pressure.

Everyone loves to take on and take down the #1 seed.

I’ll spend a major part of the day watching Madison and her teammates compete.

Place your bets early as the odds will be diluted by the NBA officials wanting in on the action.