Thursday, January 12, 2006 

Playing with the Schedule

If you’re the kind of person who reads the church schedule of services every few days, then you’ve probably had a hard time keeping track of all the changes. Secular events, like birthdays and Super Bowls, have a way of changing the best laid plans once you remember which weekend they’re on.

The Super Bowl, which won’t be found in your Bible, is nonetheless a major, major event for sports fans, both here and around the world — though you might wonder if people in New Zealand or the south of France really know what’s going on when they watch it. So, it seemed appropriate for Pastor Dale to say something about sports and personal values on Super Bowl Sunday. He’ll be talking about “Teamwork,” something we could probably all be a lot better at. He’ll also be jotting down, “Remember the Super Bowl” on next year’s calendar.

Lane Claiborne, Pastor Dale’s football-playing son, turns sixteen the same weekend that Lydia Ranger was scheduled to be Guest Pastor. Jesus got three wise men to ask for directions, but he still hasn’t figured out how to get grown men to remember birthdays and anniversaries. So, rather than have Lydia drive all the way over from Bakersfield just to follow Dale and Angela back to Lane’s birthday party — she’d much rather spend the whole weekend here — she was rescheduled for March, and the March events pushed back a week.

Actually, it was a lot more complicated, but to keep from boring you with the details, we'll just ask you to imagine what the coaches must be going through right now.

Also, if you’re the kind of person who turns to The Weather Channel every few hours, then you know that a storm somewhere in the Pacific, really just a ripple of sorts, has been focusing with more and more certainty on this Sunday’s outdoor service at Santa Rosa Park. There were two ways to handle this one: change venue or pray. Please join us in praying for the rain to be just a few hours late.

Posted by | 10:07 PM