A Visit with Mom and Psalm 139

It's really not possible to convey how I feel effectively,  but I will try.  Tonight I went to see Mom in the Rehab/Nursing Center in Carrolton, TX., where she has been for nearly 3 weeks.  After a bout with pneumonia, and her severely weakened condition due to an increasing lack of mobility, Mom needed help in getting back to her home in the The Colony, where she lives with my sister and brother-in-law. Needless to say, it's been a 'long row to hoe', but tonight I saw progress in her alertness and attitude. And it was good!

As we sat and visited I thought about all the years of like conversations and memories surrounding my life with Mom. Though now suffering from age related dementia, she is amazingly quite sharp regarding the past, so that memory sharing with her can be fun.  As we visited I found her recounting the last 45 to 50 years with incredible accuracy. We laughed and spoke quietly, in the contented back and forth way family members sometimes do, and she reminisced about Dad, now gone for 30 years, and how she loved him.

Before I was to leave, I asked Mom if she would like me to read from her Bible. I hold fond memories of her doing this for me and my sisters when we were young.  She said, "I'd like that," so I chose David's Psalm 139.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

    you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

    and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

    and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

    it is high; I cannot attain it.

'What do you think of that, Mom?'  

"It's pretty. Very comforting." 

'Yes it is.'  (pause)  'Mom?"

"Yes"

'What did you think when I was born?' 'What were you thinking?' 'Do you remember?'

"Well, I was only 19.  But I thought you were the prettiest thing I'd ever seen."  "And I loved you."  "I love you now."  

'And I love you, Mom.  But think of this, God loves us both.'  And every day of our lives, every thought that we have had - he knows it, and... still He loves us, even more than you and I love each other.'  

What do you think of that?'  

Well, that's pretty neat."  

'Yes, Mom, it certainly is.' 

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

    and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

    and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

    the night is bright as the day,

    for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;

    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]

Wonderful are your works;

    my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

    the days that were formed for me,

    when as yet there was none of them.

There are things we cannot know in this world.  How long we might live or how those days will look for us are two of those things. The folks in El Paso and Dayton Ohio suffering horrible tragedy and loss yesterday are testimony to this.  But one thing we can know - God knows us, loves us and He has known us even before we were yet formed. According to David, who knew what it was like to suffer and to celebrate, then taught us through his very human life what worship of God was to be; according to David, God's thoughts of us are far reaching, even to the 'uttermost parts of the  sea' - which was simply a ancient metaphor for the most feared and least understood places humans might experience. In other words, even through the depths of a crazed hate-filled gunman, a terrorist attack, or the singular, un-romantic but common pain of old age, He has known us and will continue to know us, the pinnacle of his creation, forever!  

Lofty terms?  Perhaps in this world they do seem so. For our world often screams it is under no control - no sense of God's knowledge or care. But, as Mom closed her eyes and I passed from her room into the hall, I knew otherwise. These words from the heart of David were truth. Truth for the 19 year old who first held me as a babe in a town called Mexia 69 years ago, and for the 88 year old laying in bed with the same boy, now grayed and changed himself, looking on.  

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting!

Good night, Mom! 

Pastor Sam 

The Gift of Laughter

I have been busy. Way too busy.  But when Belinda asked me recently if I'd heard about the passing of comedian, Tim Conway, I paused. Now here's some news I should take time with. "You know...  he made us laugh," I said.

As I've thought about this since, I have mused over the fact that laughter really is a marvelous thing. Especially when coming to us sans putting others down. As well, it is something far too underrated and sorely, so sorely needed. Even Harvey Korman as a 'patient' could not keep from laughing as Tim Conway, his 'Dentist,' attempted to administer to him a shot of novocaine from his wayward needle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF_C3bO8WZ0 And how can we forget Tim's famous 'fall of the 'Old Man' down the stairs? That was the longest timed fall time ever recorded on TV, and with hilarious results. Yes, Conway did make us laugh, and considering his gift of such has prompted in me food for a thought or two.

Proverbs 17:22 reads: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

And though we may not know all that might be known about the collection of wisdom shared by King Solomon, we do know this - God gave it and saw to it being written down and preserved for us.

Yes, when I think back over my ministry of these 40 plus years, it has been laughter and joy that I remember most. Oh, sure there were difficult days, even days of great challenge that stand out, but my mind runs more towards the smiles now. Such as the day Ed Hayes set off the fire sprinkler's over Miss Debbie's office, or the Sunday Matt Dildine tried to pull me under the water as I baptized him. Or, how about the day Paula Michel entertained the staff with head stands as we sat in the hall waiting out a lock down due to a tornado watch at the church?  And those... well, those are just a few! 

My pastor mentor, Bob Norman, taught me many things - but one thing I learned from him is that to laugh is to love and to love is to laugh. He took the high road not the toad road - and made joy his everyday choice. Watching him I discovered that no matter the news there was always a good news story somewhere, and that this story was worth hearing more than all the rest. He saw to it that happy stories stayed at the fore. One of my favorite memories of him came when a new  - and very large - copier was delivered to our Northway Church. After installation the empty box it had been delivered in sat in the hallway outside our offices. So, seizing the moment, Bob decided this was a perfect opportunity for some fun and climbed into the box and cried out softly, "Help me!" "That's right, you!" as people passed by. You can just imagine the fun.  

So I say 'thank you' to Tim Conway and 'yes' to more laughter! For a merry heart really is good medicine.  Plus this - our children need us to laugh. If we don't, how else will they learn?  Perhaps all that will be left is a humor turned cruel, disdainful, and one only at the expense of others. And I, for one, want to do all I can to see this is not so. 

So, from this pastor to you,  how about some...

Love and laughter, always! 

Pastor Sam 

March 26, 2019 - Thirty Years of Memory, Mission and Joy

I have started writing today's blog no less that 5X over the last few days, stopping short with each try. Why? Well, frankly, it is hard to put into words - at least a few words - all I am feeling as I look back over the last years, which began this very day now thirty years ago.

The night before, on March 25, 1989, Paul Abney and Bill Richardson had sent the other men home (Scott Olivier, Kyle Gooch, Jack Holder and others) then they prepared themselves to spend the night protecting the small, 'borrowed' sound system, pulpit and chairs. The next day was Easter Sunday, and it was our new church's first first service. We'd pitched a tent at the Northeast Corner of Frankford and Midway Roads, directly behind the Chevron station. By permission we were borrowing from their electricity, running an extension cord from the station to our tent. Less than 1/4 mile away, the Bent Tree West Clubhouse had also been prepped. Several of our families lived in the community, so it was made ready to be used by us to house our children's Sunday School and worship the next day, as well. As the sun set all seemed ready. I gathered with those few remaining to pray, then drove to my home for a sleepless night anticipating all that the morrow might bring.

The next day, March 26, I wakened to a cloud-filled sky. I dressed and left home quickly, telling Belinda I needed to get to the site early, to check on things, then drove toward our tent in rain. I was worried. Would anyone come to our new church? What would we do? Those who'd arrived early with me kept looking up at the sky, hopeful. The rain, though not hard, was steady. It was Easter all right, but - in truth - it was a dreary, cold, rainy day. Not the kind of day I'd hoped for at all. But then... that's when the miracle happened!

One by one cars began driving onto our lot. Our parents - all of them - had come to be with us, swelling our crowd to over 100 worshippers. As people drove onto the muddied grass Tom Herman waved folks up close - to the tents entrance - then walked each one into our tent safely under his huge umbrella. He then returned to each of the cars, parking them one by one. People were smiling. Giddy with excitement over our beginning. Then a word, making its way from the Club House, was sent to me from our workers there. Our children were "having a blast!" "Mary Martha Holder was teaching them songs about Jesus," and they 'couldn't be having more fun.' When I think back over that day now, I can but recall one thing and one thing only - how perfect the day was and what precious memories it still brings.

But, on Saturday last I watched as members of our new mission gathered -really for much of the same - and a new memory was formed. As before, the sky was cloudy and plans for planting new shrubs and cleaning out the basement of the church-house to make ready for the children to come were being challenged by threat of rain and drizzle to boot. But, in the same way, I observed much of what I'd witnessed 30 years before. People were all smiles, and filled with the excitement and hope that comes from getting ready for our next day - the LORD"S Day, Sunday, March 24 at... The Church at Junius Heights.

So, yes, it is hard to put into words how I feel as I think over the last 30 years. Certainly, precious memories are Belinda's and my great treasures, and our joy. But, tonight, as I think over it all, I must add that our greatest gift has actually been just watching YOU. Seeing you - those whom we have come to know in countless visits, meetings, projects and missions - as you have accepted the call of Christ to serve His Kingdom for His glory alone. Some we've known are now called 'home'. And we know we will see them again - in heaven. Yet others of you remain - at ParkwayHills, at The Church at Junius Heights and at many, many other places along our way.  

And yes, the mission and memories go on.  For this coming Sunday I will baptize once again - in a baptismal tank that is borrowed. Good people, serving people, will drive to get it and bring it to an old building nearly 100 years old, then set it down on a spot where a church has stood since 1911. Then these good folk will fill it, likely doing so with great smiles. Are the people the same? Why, yes, indeed they are! The very same! They are people who are on mission - called by God to serve the purposes of God and God alone. For the gospel, indeed, is for everyone - that whosever will may come. And us?  Well, we are the ones - the called out ones - who are calling out the called. And, as for it all, I am grateful that B and I have been around to see this much of it - in fact quite a lot of it - over the last 30 years and through people like you.   

Yours for memories, mission and joy - 


Pastor Sam
Ephesians 3:20-21

What Is Lent?

https://thechurchatjuniusheights.org/blog/2019/3/5/so-what-is-lent

Christmas - the worship of Christ

Christmas really is a ‘most wonderful time of the year,’ but not for the reasons many think. Instead, this Holiday (Holy Day) first found 'wonder' through the celebration of a real event, as worshippers gathered in Church to enjoy a ‘Mass’ (worship) commemorating the advent (coming) of Christ, as Immanuel - 'God with us'.  

So how did we get here? How did this 'Holy' Day become so secularized that it is hard to reconcile what was first begun with what has become? Well, good often is the enemy of the best, and during Christmas a lot of good things, even great things, have a way of taking over our minds and our energies.

But, I am not writing to be ‘Grinch’ this Christmas, so, as a postive, let me suggest 3 steps that will help us keep Christ in Christmas this year and beyond.

1. By remembering - Take time this Christmas to read the real story. The coming of Christ, the Nativity Story, is recorded in 2 gospels, Matthew and Luke, chapters 1-2.  Gather yourself, friends and family and take time to read this amazing story together.

2. By worshipping Christ on Christmas Eve, Day, or both. Find a church near you or, join me and many others at TheChurch@Junius Heights for one of our 2 services, either 6:00 or 11:00 pm on Christmas Eve.

3. By giving - to others. God gave the first Christmas gift - the gift of Christ - and none compares with this, however, a life of giving is our way of living out our thankfulness to God for all He has done for us. In both the Old and New Testaments giving to others was commended as a life honoring of God. Putting others first and by example teaching our families to do the same, creates a Christmas that remains far beyond the empty packages and trash we haul outside after indulging only ourselves.

Of course, we know that truly putting Christ in our Christmas is foremost accomplished as we make Him our Savior and LORD, but - in a world filled with so many 'other' messages during this season - taking time for these 3 can make a difference that will help.

So, if in town this Sunday and on Christmas Eve, I hope to see you and your family as we gather to worship and share with the Junius Heights community a “live nativity” scene - doing what what God has called us to, as together we enjoy a...

Merry Christmas, indeed,

Pastor Sam

https://thechurchatjuniusheights.org

https://www.facebook.com/thechurchatjuniusheights/

Things I learned attending my 50 Year High School Reunion

This past weekend I played hard ball and 'begged' Belinda to travel with me to Wichita, KS, as I attended my 50 year High School Reunion. And... she did! :-)

Wichita is only 2 hours north of Oklahoma City and just under 6 hours north of Dallas, but the difference between these cities and Wichita is huge. How?  Well, just ask anyone who's been to both. People in Wichita, if they do have money, would never dream of acting like they do. Meaning Wichita wears it's midwestern demeanor quite, well, openly - with neat clean houses (regardless of size or age) very little traffic, non-excessive conversation, certainly no braggadocio, and... only the 'correct' pronunciation of the Ar-KANSAS, River, thank you.

Now my reunion was wonderful, but for reasons I could not have envisioned. We inducted 5 alumni into our Wichita High School North Hall of Fame, and this year one of those was a member of our class -  Dr. M. Lee Pelton, President of Emerson College in Boston Mass. Dr. Pelton delivered a stirring speech reminding us of the significance of our times in High School and challenging us with the opportunities of the time we have left. Illustrating his point, he spoke of the phone/computer we all were now holding in our hands, and challenged us in this 'looking down world' to start 'looking up' once more - and connect by leaving behind a lasting legacy.

Since I am a pastor, the reunion committee asked if I might share a 'word of remembrance and prayer' honoring those of our class who had passed away - for out of 620 members almost 100 of us are now deceased. I was glad to do so. Then, as my time was over, I sat down to listen to Lee's speech, and to think about what he was saying and what I was now realizing just from my being there.

1. FOUNDATIONS: High School really is important - but not for the reasons I once thought. Like many, I grew up in High School. In High School I formed friendships and learned of my possibilities and limitations. Going back I couldn't help but note that all that happened to me then has continued marking many of my steps and choices today, but with a difference. Back then I thought that my being accepted was everything, now I know that my having the grace to accept things and others is.

2. RELATIONSHIPS: Cliques no longer matter (at least not as much) In High School there was an 'in crowd.'  I was in ours most of of the time.  But, when I was not (or felt I was not), it bugged me. So much energy was spent on talking to the right people, standing in the right hall, dating the right gal and going to the right party. Those feelings never totally leave, I suppose, but at 68 - if fortunate - they mean far less. Being at my reunion I realized how blessed I was to just be there, and how happy I was to see EVERYbody. The jocks, the brains, the choir folks and the band - ALL looked good to me and I looked good to them. And OH how refreshing this was!

3. TIME & HEALTH: Health is not guaranteed, life is a gift and time is precious. Before I led our class with my prayer, I looked over the names and faces of those who had passed away and was struck with the notion of how we so often think of personal health as something we are owed. That is a lie. God gives and takes away. The young people of those pictures had just as much promise as I did. Like me, none were guaranteed anything more than we all. So I have learned that today is the day the LORD has given me, and today I will rejoice and be glad in it by being the best I can be with the time, talents and health I have now.

4. LEGACY/MOVING ON: Life is made of chapters and the present chapter matters most. Though it was so good to see my classmates and 'remember', I was most proud of the fact that we'd all moved on. Susan had lived for 9 years in Yellowstone Park and was now living in Denver.  Dick and Jan had finally found one another, and now were happily married for over 20 years. Linda had been blessed with a daughter, the love of her life and the joy of teaching preschoolers. Our class 'tough guy' had raised 3 sons, with 2 of them playing professional baseball. Brad was living his 'retirement' as an oceanographer observing the Pacific off the island of Kauai. In other words, the first chapter was not where any had stayed. One spoke of finding Christ, another of finding love, and another of overcoming their addiction to alcohol. Still another spoke of being called to serve on the mission field - not when young but now as a 'new chapter' adult - so that the adventure had carried on. High School was not anyone's last stop, it was simply a launching pad. So that now, looking back was just that - simply a look back to say 'thank you' before moving on to chapter next!

In my Spiritual Formations class at East Texas Baptist University today one of my students was tasked with bringing our devotion. Her name is Vicki, and she is but 19 years of age. This is what Vicki read...

'In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9

Indeed He does, Vicki. Indeed, He really does.

Pastor Sam Dennis
Wichita High School NORTH, Class of 1968

TheChurch@JuniusHeights

When I was a toddler (ca. 1952-1955) our family was active in the Junius Heights Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. One day in 2013, as my mother and I left Baylor Hospital from an appointment she'd had, we drove to the old neighborhood nearby to see if we could find it, and did! That day was the beginning of God's call of me to help restore the building (constructed in the early 1920s) and revitalize the ministry and mission of this wonderful place.

Now, this past Sunday, with a handful of core families and volunteers - many of whom have been working around the clock for months to make this old sanctuary habitable, the mission prompted by God's call began. Over 220 gathered to celebrate, and... it was an amazing day of praise and celebration.

So that this week, back in Marshall Texas with my students at ETBU, I couldn't wait to relate the news of what took place, for many of them have been praying with me through this journey. And I reminded them of something they must absolutely know - that God's calling always comes with His enabling. In other words, He never calls us to do something without also enabling us with the all we need to get it done. Even when we think He won't we must remember it is Satan who causes our doubt. Let's see - shall I repeat his tactics with me? Thoughts of, "you're too old, you've not enough money, there is too much resistance, people will be suspicious of your motive's" and, well, shall I go on? :-)

Which bings me to today and why I am writing about what I love about God - that His will for us is filled with adventure. That it is fraught with possibility, tinctured with joy, complete with surprise, and often most manifest in challenge. And finally, this - that it leads and ends in celebration over what He has done. For, when God is in charge, WHEN HE REALLY IS IN CHARGE, the pressure is off and extraordinary is on.

Many of you texted or emailed prior to Sunday, encouraging me in our church launch, and that meant so very much. However, on Saturday night, before making my way home to Plano, and after saying goodnight to sweet Debbie and Tom Irons along with the Gardner's who'd just circled and prayed over me, I was left in this church to think about it all. I thought about my partnership with amazing people like Debbie Irons - and how hard she'd worked supervising construction and dealing with our contractors and volunteers. I sat in silence thinking about the last several months of our journey, then walked about the church, trying, as best I could, to remember the times as a toddler once playing on these church steps. alone, I prayed to God asking His blessing as we moved into the future. Then, stepping into the night, sounds greeted me from the apartment courtyard across the street. It was the sound of children playing and laughing. In that moment God spoke to me to say, I did not bring you here for the building, Sam - nor for sentimentality sake, I brought you here for them. For these children - and many, many more to come. For do you not perceive it?

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."  (from Isa. 43)

As I pulled away from the parking lot and the glorious sounds of these children and others, my heart flooded with the peace of God. From my rear-view mirror I could see the lights from the sanctuary telling of the broken stain-glass and reminding me of the 'much more' yet to be done, but... my focus no longer was there. It was now across the street with the voices of children and the undertones of parents speaking softly as they watched them play. The persons for whom Christ had come - those for whom He died!

So that now, smiling and at peace, I turned north onto Munger Street filled with excitement and eager to return on the morrow, to...

TheChurch@JuniusHeights, indeed!

Pastor Sam
Ephesians. 3:20-21