“The Simple Formula”
Blessings to
all of you this summer! Summer means vacations, summer school, moving, pool
parties and much, much more. Oh did I
say moving? Well, yes I did. On July 5th the Coop and Keathley
clan are moving to 526 Cozy Drive. For those of you who have been part of the
church for a few years you should recognize that address – or at least part of
it. It is actually two house down from
where we lived three years ago.
Of course we
will be having a house party to introduce you all to our new “digs” the date
and time to be determined. We have been
very blessed to find this new home AND it is within walking distance to Santa
Teresa High School
--- YEA!!! Thank you for your prayers.
Summer also
means that we have started our Summer Worship Series. I detailed that in last
month’s Coop’s Corner, so I won’t
bore you with a repeat of all the fascinating details. Suffice it to say, it’s different and it’s a
lot of fun. If you haven’t been to
church in a while – check us out!
I have been
rereading one of my favorite books this summer. It is entitled “A Measured
Pace” by William Coleman. It is a short
book filled with his musings on various subjects. The fine print on the cover says that his
book provides “insightful, thought-provoking devotionals for quiet reflection
in a hurry-up world.” And I would
agree. It was written over twenty years
ago, but I believe it is as relevant today as it was in 1986.
One of my favorite poems in the
book is “THE SIMPLE FORMULA.” It goes like this:
What
does God want from us? When will He be
pleased with us? What standard has God set for us?
Ask
a dozen people; get a dozen answers.
Read
a dozen books; find a dozen formulas.
Hear
a dozen speakers; know a dozen ways.
Could
it be so simple, would it be so clear that God wants us to love the Lord our
God and also to love our neighbor as ourselves?
Look
out for the protests: There is more to it than that. That’s good but it’s only a start. Remember to include the entire bible.
Count
the objections. Listen to the clauses,
the “buts” and “howevers” and “furthermores.”
Like
theo-lawyers we argue for exceptions, extenuating circumstances, and
suppression of evidence.
But
Jesus did say it, didn’t he? Before there were organizations, and printing
presses, and spiritual formulas, and dazzling seminars, and overhead
projectors, and video-cassettes. Jesus
did say it, didn’t he?
Before
there were huge budgets, professional fund raisers, direct mailing lists, and
corporation jets, Jesus did say it, didn’t he?
To
love the Lord our God and also to love our neighbors as ourselves. The formula
is so simple!
Isn’t that great? We try to complicate things and yet it really
is so simple. My prayer this summer is
that we might work at making it simple. That the question we ask ourselves is
“Does what I am doing (or want to do) help me to love God better, to love my
neighbor better?” If it does, you are on the right track. If not – maybe you need to re-examine your intentions.
Be blessed, my friends. And as always, I will see you on Sunday!
Pastor Tom
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