Remembering My Good Friend & Co-Laborer, Bill Pederson

I woke up this morning to an incoming text message. As I fumbled for my phone I shook my head hoping I had just awakened from a bad dream.  As I looked at the text message, I realized that it hadn’t been a dream.

At 4:00 this morning I got a phone call to tell me that my good friend, Prayer Partner, former Middle School Director, fishing buddy, and the guy who always had my back, Bill Pederson, had passed away and was home with the Lord.  My heart was sad. Two grown children have lost their father at an early age.  I remember what that was like. My dad passed away when I was 33. He met my daughter and knew her for about 8 months. He never met my son. Bill’s wife, Claire, has lost the husband of her youth. My heart was sad because I lost a great friend and a co-laborer.  Bill was my Middle School Director for a lot of years and helped me build our Middle School Ministry to where it is today. After stepping down as my MS Director, he continued to teach occasionally in our student ministry and offered help wherever and whenever we needed it.  He raised funds for our student ministry when we needed them.  He was an Elder at our church and a Trustee. He raised up a team of prayer partners who would regularly pray for me, my family, our ministry here. In his words, he was “just a pipe-fitter,” but he was a leader and a good friend.

So, my heart is sad today. But, as the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4, I don’t grieve as those who have no hope, nor does his family. I know where Bill is.  He is more alive today than he ever has been. The health issues he has battled over recent years, many stemming from his time in Vietnam, are gone. He is alive and well and in the presence of his God and Creator. He is alive and worshiping his Father – the One whom he has served so faithfully for so many years, the One whom he has told countless others about. He is with the God he loves and will enjoy Him forever.  And so while I will miss Bill and our times of prayer, our times eating together (always an order of cheese fries and a cheesesteak stromboli with bacon and sauce @ Cocco’s), our times of solving the problems of the church together, and our times fishing, I am glad for him, and quite frankly, a little bit jealous that he gets to be with Jesus before me.

Bill left his mark in the lives of a lot of students and others. May we now pick up that torch and continue to make a difference for Christ. Please pray for the family in the days and weeks to come as they adjust and miss Bill.

A picture of one of the bass Bill caught last time he and I went fishing at our favorite fishing hole in Lancaster.

Wednesday Weekend Watch | 05.09.12

Wednesday Night
Middle School BLOC – 7:00-8:15 – “End Times” study continuing
High School Merge – 7:00-8:15 – “2nd Timothy” study continuing

Saturday
Church Work Day – 9:00-12:00

Sunday
Middle School Digging In – 9:45-10:45
High School Underground – 9:45-10:45
High School Lift – 8:00-9:00

Don’t forget to bring those gently used stuffed animals in this Sunday for JAM!

Tuesday Tunes | Lecrae – “Don’t Waste Your Life”

I admit that I am not really a rap fan but Lecrae is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. His Song “Don’t Waste Your Life” is right on.  The theology in this song is great!  I found this video that features Lecrae’s song as well as a short sermon excerpt by John Piper.  Don’t waste your life.

Hook:

(Cam)
Don’t waste your life man

Verse 1:
(LeCrae)
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die/ couple of em thinking they’ll be livin’ in the sky/ but while I’m here livin’ man I gotta ask why, what am here fo I gotta figure out/ waste my life/ no I gotta make it count /if Christ is real then what am I gone do about/ everything in Luke 12:15 down to 21/ you really oughta go and check it out/Paul said if Christ ain’t resurrect then we wasted our lives/ well that implies that our life’s built around Jesus being alive/ everyday I’m living tryin’ show the world why/ Christ is more than everything you’ll ever try/ better than pretty women and sinning and living to get a minute of any women and men that you admire/ ain’t no lie/
We created for Him/ outta the dust he made us for Him/ Elects us and he saves us for Him/ Jesus comes and raises for Him/ Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser/ he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him/ resurrects him/ so I know I got life/ matter fact better man I know I got Christ/ if you don’t’ see His ways in my days and nights/ you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights/ man I lost my rights/ I lost my life/ forget the money cars and toss that ice/ the cost is Christ/ and they could never offer me anything on the planet that’ll cost that price.

Verse 2:
(Dwayne Tryumph)
Armed and dangerous
So the devil jus can’t hang with us
Christian youth them a stand wid us
Livin’ n driven/ given a vision/ fullfillin the commission he handed us
London to Los Angeles
Da rap evangelist
Ma daddy wouldn’t abandon us
“I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac”
So are you ready to jam with us
So lets go, gimme the word an lets go
Persecution lets go
Tribulation lets go
Across the nation lets go
Procrastination lets go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for da young and the old
Can’t say you never know
Heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven so we gotta go in and get em
Whaaaaat!

Verse 3:
(LeCrae)
Suffer/ Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life/ if you making a lot money hope you doing it right because the money is God’s you better steward it right/ stay focused if you ain’t got no ride/ your life ain’t wrapped up in what you drive/ the clothes you wear the job you work/ the color your skin naw you Christian first/ people living life for a job/ make a lil money start living for a car/ get em a wife a house and a dog/ when they retire they living high on the hog/ but guess what they didn’t ever really live at all/ to live is Christ yeah that’s Paul I recall/ to die is gain so for Christ we give it all/ he’s the treasure you’ll never find in the mall/ Your money your singleness marriage talent and time/ they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine/ that’s why it’s Christ in my rhymes/ That’s why it’s Christ all the time/see my whole world is built around him He’s the life in my lines/ I refused to waste my life/ he’s too true ta chase that ice/ here’s my gifts and time cause I’m constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ/ If he’s truly raised to life/ then this news should change your life/ and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights.

Missions Monday | What About Me?

I was going to skip posting today.  Not really what I want to do.  Several reasons:

• I’m not feeling well and I’m really tired as a result.
• The creative juices just aren’t flowing right now (maybe as a result of #1)
• I am swamped.  I’m having a hard time keeping up with everything.

Whaaaa, whaaa, whaaa. I don’t feel good, I’m tired. I’m not feeling creative. I’m too busy.   It’s all about me.

As I was going through these mental gymnastics in my mind and coming up with “reasons” to just skip today’s post, it dawned on me that this is pretty much the same thing I do – and maybe you do – with sharing the Gospel and serving.  There’s a world full of people dying with no hope and destined to eternity in Hell without God, but we so easily fall into the same trap Adam & Eve fell into back in the Garden of Eden and our minds focus on “ME.”  What about me?

Well, what about me?

• God allowed me to wake up this morning.
• God saved me by His grace. He allowed someone to care enough about me to share the Gospel with me.
• God has given me the privilege of being a part of what He is doing in this world. (Think about that long enough and it will blow your mind!)
• God has placed people in my life that have built relationships with and can share the Gospel with.
• God has allowed me to spend eternity with Him!

What about you? How are you feeling today? What are your excuses? Where are your eyes focused?  Sorry, I got all “Cat & Dog Theology” on you today.  Actually, I’m not really sorry because I had to get all up in my own face first.

Tuesday Tunes | This Disco & The Big Sleep

Today you get something from two of my favorite bands from the 80s.  Steve Taylor created some amazing music back in the 80s and 90s. His cutting edge music was surpassed by his witty, satirical, cutting-edge lyrics.   One of his songs, “This Disco (used To Be A Cute Cathedral)” speaks of the church losing its focus and mission and becoming nothing more than a country-club, or in this case, a disco.

Sunday needs a pick-me-up?
Here’s your chance
Do you get tired of the same old square dance?

Allemande right now
All join hands
Do-si-do to the promised boogieland

Got no need for altar calls
Sold the altar for the mirror balls
Do you shuffle? Do you twist?
‘Cause with a hot hits playlist, now we say

This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where the chosen cha-cha every day of the year
This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where we only play the stuff you’re wanting to hear

Mickey does the two-step
One, Two, Swing
All the little church mice doing their thing

Boppin’ in the belltower
Rumba to the right
Knock knock, who’s there? Get me out of this limelight

So, you want to defect?
Officer, what did you expect?
Got no rhythm, got no dough
He said, “Listen, Bozo, don’t you know”

This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where the chosen cha-cha every day of the week
This disco used to be a cute cathedral
But we got no room if you ain’t gonna be chic

Sell your holy habitats
This ship’s been deserted by sinking rats
The exclusive place to go
It’s where the pious pogo, don’t you know

This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where the chosen cha-cha every day of the year
This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where we only play the stuff you’re wanting to hear

This disco used to be a cute cathedral
Where the chosen cha-cha every day of the week
This disco used to be a cute cathedral
But we got no room if you ain’t gonna be chic

Another one of my favorite bands from the 80s is an obscure little band that only released three albums before disappearing.  In fact, I had met very few people who have ever heard of this band.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that it was one of Wes Williamson’s favorite bands, too.  The band PRODIGAL wrote a song called ”The Big Sleep” which appeared on it’s Just Like Real Life album.

I hear alarms but they don’t shake me

I snap them off and stay in bed

I’d rather go where my charge card takes me

Lying in the sun ’til my skin turns red

I cover up with the latest fashion

I deck the halls with affordable art

I’ve built a life with grief and passion

Sin on my hands until it falls apart

Oh, leave me alone

Just let me go

Don’t bring it up, I don’t want to know

Don’t bother me

Oh, I don’t want to face it

I said, Oh no, it’s not my fault

Singing, Oh no, it’s no one’s fault

Singing, Oh no, I’ve fallen into the big sleep

I play it cool until I’m frozen

I learn my lines and play my part

I’m gonna live the life I’ve chosen

While the world rides to Hell in a shopping cart

Oh, leave me alone

Just let me go

Don’t bring it up, I don’t want to know

Don’t bother me

Oh, I don’t think I can take it

I said, Oh no, it’s not my fault

Singing, Oh no, it’s no one’s fault

Singing, Oh no, I’ve fallen into the big sleep

Only sleeping

Only sleeping

Two for the price of one today.  May both songs cause us to think and re-examine our lives, priorities, and answer the question: “Do I really care?”

Mission Monday | Do We Really Care?

I was reading a blog from our Missions Conference speaker and Director of InFaith (the old AMF), Ridge Burns, the other day.  It was a story of a recent experience in a church in our area.  Here’s an excerpt:

As I was leaving my friends, I heard a church that had bells playing familiar hymns, and I thought I’d really like to hear some organ music, so I drove to the church, whose sign said it was “A Family-Friendly Church,” and parked in the parking lot. Knowing that I was terribly underdressed, I thought I would slip into the back of the church, listen to some organ music, and quietly slip out, not disturbing anybody.

So that’s what I did. I parked my car and walked into the church. It was not a large church, but it had a great organ. It was very formal, and it was really obvious that I was not dressed appropriately. I kept my stocking hat on because I had a pretty major bedhead from the rain.

What happened to me next I was not prepared for. Two men who were ushers came and asked me to leave the church. They told me I was not dressed appropriately and that I was welcome to come back when I had the appropriate clothes on to show respect for our God.

I graciously left because I was not there to cause a scene, but as I walked to my car, I thought how wrong this was, how wrong that we have to dress a certain way or have certain hoops to jump through in order for us to be acceptable to the local body that meets at a church.

My heart was saddened as I read that story.

This past Friday night we had our High School RIOT.  It was a small turn-out which can be a nice thing some times.  As I walked around and observed and tried to get involved in what was going on in different areas, I was struck by how there were some students there who almost seemed to be ignored.  Maybe they weren’t being ignored.  Maybe they had been talked to several times and invited into games and conversations and chose to be by themselves.  It is certainly possible that I missed some of that.  But it saddened my heart to see what I perceived as some students almost alone and looking out-of-place all night.

Ridge’s story and what I perceive to have observed this past Friday night have left me asking how much we really care.  Do we really care about the lost?  The lonely?  The hurting?  The outcast?  The ones Jesus constantly told us we should be caring for and about.  We spend a lot of time talking about evangelism and missions and what it means to live missionally.    We hold it up as a core value.  We give it mental ascent.  But do we really care?  Something seems to be amiss when we get escorted out of a church because of the way we look or when we find people lonely/alone and feeling out-of-place when we’re supposed to be welcoming and caring.  Have we gotten so comfortable that we just don’t care anymore?  Those questions lead me to some ideas for tomorrow’s ”Tuesday Tunes” so make sure that you check that out while you ponder the question.

Thursday Thots | Touch A Shark

So its Wednesday and I’m on a field trip with Dean’s class @ the Adventure Aquarium in Camden. As I watch The Boy and the other kids reach in to touch the sharks, I am intrigued at how intimidated they are at first and how they can’t get enough within just a few minutes. Most of these kids are so scared to stick their hands in at first, but after doing it a few times they realize there’s nothing to it and its no big deal.

The reactions of these kids reminds me of the way so many of us are with sharing our faith. We’re scared the first time and may even let the shark pass by a few times before we finally get up the courage to actually touch it, or in this case, share our faith. But after a few times, it gets so much easier and almost natural.