The policies of the federal government have trickled down to the lowest levels and now they have reached me. I am looking at an Obama Christmas this year. We now have trickle down poverty brought to us from the highest office of the land. Hang up your stockings with visions of food stamp cards dancing in your heads. Instead of snow piles we have deficit spending piling up around us. And this year Santa looks a lot like Obama, he laughs and says "Blame George Bush" instead of "Ho Ho Ho". The sleigh has been replaced by the Chevy Volt built by Government Motors. But it has been catching on fire so make sure you don't leave any toys in it. Well, if there were any toys that is- seems all the money went to subsidize solar energy companies that went bankrupt shortly after getting the money. But that's OK because we have plenty of gasoline, at 4 bucks a gallon I guess it isn't selling as fast as it used to. At least we still have public transit on the East coast so people don't have to buy that expensive gas. Well we did until Hurricane Sandy. But that was good because it gives Obama another quick chance to show how much he cares by promising a few hundred billion or so dollars for reconstruction right before the election. Not too sure where this money is coming from, but certainly the 1%'ers can afford it. So before I head on down to the unemployment office to see if I can get an extension, let me wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! --Rick Momney.
PS don't forget to vote for my good friend Mitt Romney on election day!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
God's story not our story
When we took Daniel back to Wheaton College in early August for the football kick off meeting and dinner Coach Swider gave his inspirational start of the season talk. He talked about the difference in "our story" and "God's story".
He said one year when the football team took its annual missions trip to Senegal, a young Senegalese boy was so impressed with the team that he decided to get enrolled and accepted at Wheaton so he could be on the team too. Coach said he didn't know how his family did it, they were not well off, but he got accepted, came to Wheaton and joined the team. He wasn't a good football player so he never played in a single game, but he was on the team for four years and while he was here he became engaged to be married.
The day before the wedding, the young man was running on the sports track at Wheaton and he fell down and died immediately. I'm guessing he had a bad heart. The father was in route from Senegal at the time to attend the wedding and when he arrived he found that instead of attending his son's wedding the next day he would be attending his son's funeral.
The Coach was just heartbroken and could not imagine the sorrow the father would feel when he arrived and was told what had happened. At the memorial service for the young man, the Coach talked to the father and this is what the father said.
We have a story for our lives, we make plans and carry them out to live our our story. God also has a story for our lives, and in the end it is God's story that prevails. And this was God's story for my son's life.
These sad events in the life of this family from Senegal impresses me first of the faith and trust that the father of the boy displayed in accepting God's will in his son's death. Secondly it made me think of the story of Calvary Church. I remember how we moved into the new location with high hopes and great expectations 12 years ago. How we collectively had "our story" for Calvary Church. We anticipated great growth in the size of our congregation. There were plans for future additions of a worship center, church offices, nurseries, adding more classrooms, even the hope someday of senior and missionary housing. The hopes were high and well meaning. But this was not to be "God's story" for Calvary Church. God's story has us leaving the new location with all of the hopes and plans it had entailed and sharing a building with a gracious group of believers on the other side of town.
So we leave "our story" behind but like the father of the Senegalese boy, we go with faith and trust that this is "God's story" for our Church. We go knowing that God's has changed us to be more of a servant Church to the world than a Church to serve ourselves, We are more aware of our need to love the world we are called to minister to rather than to love the pleasures this world has to offer. We have learned that we must love our fellow members and not let division separate us again.
We are saddened by the loss of "our story", but we know that in the end it is "God's story" that prevails and we want to be as much a part of His story as we can be. May His story and our story blend together into a beautiful story.
He said one year when the football team took its annual missions trip to Senegal, a young Senegalese boy was so impressed with the team that he decided to get enrolled and accepted at Wheaton so he could be on the team too. Coach said he didn't know how his family did it, they were not well off, but he got accepted, came to Wheaton and joined the team. He wasn't a good football player so he never played in a single game, but he was on the team for four years and while he was here he became engaged to be married.
The day before the wedding, the young man was running on the sports track at Wheaton and he fell down and died immediately. I'm guessing he had a bad heart. The father was in route from Senegal at the time to attend the wedding and when he arrived he found that instead of attending his son's wedding the next day he would be attending his son's funeral.
The Coach was just heartbroken and could not imagine the sorrow the father would feel when he arrived and was told what had happened. At the memorial service for the young man, the Coach talked to the father and this is what the father said.
We have a story for our lives, we make plans and carry them out to live our our story. God also has a story for our lives, and in the end it is God's story that prevails. And this was God's story for my son's life.
These sad events in the life of this family from Senegal impresses me first of the faith and trust that the father of the boy displayed in accepting God's will in his son's death. Secondly it made me think of the story of Calvary Church. I remember how we moved into the new location with high hopes and great expectations 12 years ago. How we collectively had "our story" for Calvary Church. We anticipated great growth in the size of our congregation. There were plans for future additions of a worship center, church offices, nurseries, adding more classrooms, even the hope someday of senior and missionary housing. The hopes were high and well meaning. But this was not to be "God's story" for Calvary Church. God's story has us leaving the new location with all of the hopes and plans it had entailed and sharing a building with a gracious group of believers on the other side of town.
So we leave "our story" behind but like the father of the Senegalese boy, we go with faith and trust that this is "God's story" for our Church. We go knowing that God's has changed us to be more of a servant Church to the world than a Church to serve ourselves, We are more aware of our need to love the world we are called to minister to rather than to love the pleasures this world has to offer. We have learned that we must love our fellow members and not let division separate us again.
We are saddened by the loss of "our story", but we know that in the end it is "God's story" that prevails and we want to be as much a part of His story as we can be. May His story and our story blend together into a beautiful story.
Friday, October 5, 2012
A dying man's request
Please take me to the window though my eyes are getting dim
I want to look for Jesus 'cause I've got some faith in Him
I want to see His blazing eyes inset in radiant skin
with flowing hair that shimmers from the fire He has within
I want to see His brilliant horse as it gallops through the sky
with Jesus riding on it's back together do they fly!
I want to see His robe of white as it dazzles in the sun
see it flowing out behind him as the horse begins to run
I want to see the secret name Jesus has across His thigh
my poor old eyes will strain to read it in the moment that I die
Put me by that window for my hearing's not so well
When I see my Jesus coming I want to hear what He will tell
Though His visage is like lightning His voice will sound so sweet
He will call my name softly and I'll stand up on my feet
Then my body will go weightless as I leave this world of care
He will swoop me up upon his horse, no saddle- we ride it bare!
I will wrap my arms around him and embrace his warm strong chest
we'll fly through countless galaxies not till Heaven do we rest
So doctor stop the morphine I want my mind to clear
when my Jesus comes to get me I want to know when he is near
I heard the doctor talking to the nurses in the hall
how the old man in this room isn't doing well at all
Then my family came to see me for one final tearful look
and it's got me thinking strongly of the things in God's good book
Please move me to the window cause this earth is getting dim
I want to see my Jesus I just want to be with Him
I want to look for Jesus 'cause I've got some faith in Him
I want to see His blazing eyes inset in radiant skin
with flowing hair that shimmers from the fire He has within
I want to see His brilliant horse as it gallops through the sky
with Jesus riding on it's back together do they fly!
I want to see His robe of white as it dazzles in the sun
see it flowing out behind him as the horse begins to run
I want to see the secret name Jesus has across His thigh
my poor old eyes will strain to read it in the moment that I die
Put me by that window for my hearing's not so well
When I see my Jesus coming I want to hear what He will tell
Though His visage is like lightning His voice will sound so sweet
He will call my name softly and I'll stand up on my feet
Then my body will go weightless as I leave this world of care
He will swoop me up upon his horse, no saddle- we ride it bare!
I will wrap my arms around him and embrace his warm strong chest
we'll fly through countless galaxies not till Heaven do we rest
So doctor stop the morphine I want my mind to clear
when my Jesus comes to get me I want to know when he is near
I heard the doctor talking to the nurses in the hall
how the old man in this room isn't doing well at all
Then my family came to see me for one final tearful look
and it's got me thinking strongly of the things in God's good book
Please move me to the window cause this earth is getting dim
I want to see my Jesus I just want to be with Him
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