Several weeks ago, I wrote a piece titled Christian Right. Christian Left. And whatever happened to just following Jesus?I've been thinking about that lately and wanted to share some more thoughts on it.On Facebook, I follow the group The Christian Left. I wouldn't really consider myself to be a member of "The Christian Left" because I seem to have some pretty strong opposing views. I can say the same for "The Christian Right" (if such a group can be defined). The thing that got me to thinking about this again was a phrase that I heard several...
Friday, 30 March 2012
Friday, 23 March 2012
I just made the final installment of the SGF ATCT contribution to the St. Baldrick's Foundation for the 2012 shave the head fundraiser. The facility made their goal and so I guess I'm locked into getting my head shaved with my nephews this weekend.I really do want to say thanks to everybody that made a contribution. I know that the boys are very excited to have exceeded their $1500 goal by more than $300! Even though they're not quite to $2000 (which is what I told them it would take for me to join them), I'm going in for the head shaving...
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Last night I was looking at my list of Facebook friends and wondering where they all came from. Right now my profile says that I have 544 Facebook friends. I have a whopping 38 followers on Twitter and an astounding 9 connections on LinkedIn. I have about 60 friends in circles at Google+.Most of my Facebook friends I have actually met. That makes sense. It's actually odd that I have a great number of "friends" that I haven't met and many that I haven't seen in a very long time. Most of the "haven't seen in a very long time" friends are classmates...
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
With only a few days before the Friday deadline, SGF ATCT is getting very close to reaching its goal!I want to thank everybody that has already made a contribution to the St. Baldrick's Foundation to support my nephews' efforts to raise funds for research for a cure of childhood cancers. With just a few more donations, I'll be joining the boys for a head shaving event on Saturday.In addition to the local Air Traffic contributions (including staff and administration), we have also received donations from a supervisor that hasn't even reported to...
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Tonight was a great fundraiser for our Hopedale Kids' Camp. I am truly humbled by the generosity of the people of Hopedale. And true to form, the people with the big hearts and generous spirits are the ones that don't have kids that are of the age to go to camp. Come to think of it, most of their grandkids are past the age of going to kids' camp, too. But they recognize the value of teaching kids about our God and Savior and so they invest in the next generation of Christ followers.THANK YOU!As a way of affirming the work that goes on at kids'...
As I sit sipping my morning coffee, I can't help but think that the very real possibility exists that at this time next week I'll be sipping my morning coffee with a shaved head. Here's the post if you're not sure of what I'm talking about.On the one hand, my co-workers are still a little short in their quest to see me with a bald head. It's possible that the only bald John they'll see is the photo shopped pic that one of them came up with to inspire...
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Last Sunday morning, Dr. Burris preached a message on prayer. I've been thinking about it this week as several of my pastor friends have expressed needs that they or their churches have. My thoughts have been more about our need to pray for one another and how we end up in the situations that we find ourselves in from time to time since Sunday's message.I also feel compelled to mention just how cool it feels to bring a friend's name and need before the Mighty God of the universe.I know that some of my readers may never give a thought to spiritual...
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Three weeks into Lent and the benefits of more healthful eating habits are quite evident. Two of the biggies for me have been no fast food and taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. I can now make the 80 stairs to the fifth floor sign-in station without being too out of breath and no longer avoid the occasional trip downstairs for some fresh air on breaks. (Week 1 I never went downstairs on break because it meant having to climb the stairs when it was time to go back to work!)Although I haven't completely shunned junk foods, I have...
Monday, 12 March 2012
If you are a frequent reader of Out of My Hat, you already know that I am a follower of Jesus. Most might simply say that I am a Christian, but I feel that the term has become too generic in its meaning and is often misused and misunderstood.This post is purely a sharing of my heart and is not meant to be an offense to anybody. It is certainly not meant to be critical of other believers. I just want to share the reasons that I go to church ask why others go to church. To be fair, the reason for this post is some confusion (on my part) over a recent...
Friday, 9 March 2012
From time to time I feel the need to make this very clear to my readers and friends. I have a number of friends that are not followers of Jesus. I truly appreciate my readers that have different religious beliefs and yet choose to read my posts anyway. I do want to maintain a dialogue that allows us to freely share the things that we each believe.However, a couple of things have prompted me to write this now--a letter from an atheist to the Christian Left Facebook page, and a conversation with an unbeliever.It is important for you to...
Thursday, 8 March 2012
It's a simple question.It's too bad that the answer doesn't appear to be quite as simple.At the risk of stating the obvious and simultaneously offending both sides of an argument, sometimes we need to stop talking long enough to really hear what the other side is saying. We have as much of an obligation to make sure that we are understanding the other guy as we have to make sure that they understand us.For example:Let's look at the mandate that employers or insurers are required to provide benefits that go against their beliefs; in this...
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Ending week 2 of Lent has had some grand benefits. I have continued to take the stairs instead of using the elevator at work. I've even added some trips (intentionally) downstairs on breaks. I am continuing with a day of fasting (actually a 24 hour fast) each week. I have been carefully avoiding any over indulgence. I have only had seconds once in the two weeks and have had no desserts. I've also given up fast food. The biggest thing with that is not stopping for a breakfast sandwich of some kind on the way to work in the morning.I have fallen...
Sunday, 4 March 2012
It's just five short weeks until Easter Sunday!I'm pretty excited about getting invited to Forest Park Joplin for the Easter Sunday children's program. The really good thing is the opportunity to share at a new venue and for a different church. The challenge will be the amount of time that I (1) need to fill and (2) need to keep the kids' attention.A one hour magic show is a long time for kids.Heck, a one hour anything is a long time for kids. Their attention span just isn't that long. I have found that you can keep kids entertained for longer;...
Thursday, 1 March 2012
After only a few days there seems to be a little bit of local interest in getting to see John with a bald head. Siblings have made donations that are higher than their previous donations and co-workers are ganging together to try to raise $300 of the additional $500 needed to push the boys up to the $2000 mark; donations and commitments are already coming in.I'm hopeful that some of my church friends will also add a few bucks towards the cause. And I'm sure that my follicle challenged friends (that I may have teased at one time or another)...
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