Pastor's Perspective - Early Fathers Day Gift

Dear FCC Family & Friends,

Last night the Lord gave me an early Father’s Day gift – a timely reminder that moved me deeply.

Two weeks ago our four youngest performed splendidly at their first piano recital. They have been taking weekly lessons for several months from their grandmother (aka “Mae Mae”). Michelle and I just beamed with pride watching each of our little ones dressed in their Sunday best, sitting straight-backed on the piano bench pecking out such timeless classics as ‘Playing on the Monkey Bars’, ‘The Friendly Cat’, ‘Pat-A-Cake Pat-A-Cake’, and ‘It Aint Gonna Rain No More’. To reward their personal achievements, we bought them a summer gift they could all enjoy together – a small inflatable pool.

The pool is only thirteen feet in diameter, so its’ small, but, too big to drain and replenish regularly. So as ‘Dad on Duty’, in short order, I have become the keeper of the pool and an amateur chemist. Every day I run the pump, test the water, skim the surface for leaves and critters, and place a cover over it at nightfall. Which leads me up to last night.

As the sun was setting, I left my family and guests briefly to step outside and dutifully put the cover over the pool. Immediately I was seized by the sight of the area around it. There were wet swimsuits and towels everywhere, Barbie dolls in the grass, floatation “noodles” strewn all over, a new inflatable whale upside down against the fence, and a variety of various splashy things strewn all over the place. My mood began to plummet as I dialogued internally - “Couldn’t these kids at least throw this stuff up on the patio?” “Does stuff have to be everywhere?” “How long does it take to lay a wet bathing suit over a chair to dry?” “Do they not know where the trash can is?” “What would this whole thing look like if I didn’t tend to it daily?” “Why can’t…?” Then my Fathers Day gift came.

Just as quickly as my good mood was taking a flume ride, an inner voice stopped me. With skimming net in hand, the following comments and questions welled up inside of your pastor – “Be joyful that you have children”, “Be grateful that their bodies are strong and healthy, that they can play, splash and swim”, “Their laughter and enjoyment of this pool far outweighs any inconvenience you have”, “Smile son, it’s not that bad”, “Someday, you’re going to wish you had all of this back”.

Friends, my negative outlook quickly melted into humble choked-up gratitude to my heavenly Father. The skimming net even felt lighter! My desire to angrily vent was quickly translated and transformed into four lingering hugs of love and appreciation. So in the end, maybe I am a sucker. But what I do know is, as of last night, I’m thrilled to be my kid’s 45-year-old pool boy.

Thanks for the early gift Dad. It fit perfectly and was just what I needed.

Pastor's Perspective - The "Go" in Goodness

How often in my forty-five trips around the sun have I heard the following statements? - “You know, people are basically good”; or, “All people are good deep down inside.” The same people who say these things in a warm and fuzzy ‘Walton’s Mountain Christmas-time’ moment, haven’t seen the hit & run video I saw yesterday.

Last Friday in Hartford, Connecticut, on a busy street in broad daylight, a video caught a 78-year-old man being tossed like a rag doll into the air by a hit & run driver who callously drove away. As the man lie motionless in the street, several pedestrians gawked but did nothing. One driver stopped briefly then pulled back into traffic. A man on a scooter actually circled the victim before zipping away. Governor M. Jodi Rell said the video is “beyond chilling.” One local commented, “Like a dog they left him there.” Chief Daryl Roberts’ commentary said it all – “We have no regard for each other.”

Jesus told the rich young ruler in Mark 10:18 that “No one is good – except God alone.” Likewise, Paul reminded us in Romans 3:12, “..there is no one who does good, not even one.” So, are we as humans intrinsically good? The Bible gives us an emphatic ‘No’! God is the only One that is good; and the only way we as humans can be in the same vicinity as ‘good’ is when God’s fruit of goodness (Galatians 5:22) flows through us. Jesus elaborates that as “branches”, the only way a human can exhibit true goodness (His goodness!) is by being deliberately connected to the “vine” – Jesus Christ! (John 15:5)

This horrific new story from Hartford reminded me of the story Jesus told, that of the ‘Good Samaritan’; where a severely injured man was ignored by a host of people, until a most unlikely fellow came by and treated the victim the way he himself would want to be treated.

Remember when Cain asked God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Friends, as modern-day Christ followers, indeed we are our brother’s keepers. The injured are everywhere! Yet we know that only as we deliberately abide/connect with Christ can we become authentic agents and channels of His goodness in Solano County and beyond. As thousands lie spiritually injured all around us, crying out for the help and answers only Jesus provides, we cannot conveniently look away any longer. Jesus never turned a blind eye, and as His ambassadors, neither can we. Let our legacy as a community of faith be – “They loved Jesus, and never turned away from opportunities to do good.”