What Is in A Name?

Note: The content of this article was written as a collaborative effort between ideas expressed through emails between myself and Abby Henegar who is a senior psychology major at TCU, a amazing servant of God and calls me Dad. 

If you Google First Christian Church you will find 114 million hits. So what is in a name that is so common that there are 114 million others? The one thing our Centralia community has the most of per our population is churches yet our community seems to be in chaos and fear. So the problem arises if there are so many churches and things are getting worse then what can we as a faith family do to be more effective. What will make our name carry significance and respond accordingly?

First and foremost we will not panic nor fear. It was out of chaos that God created the world in which we life. It is in the chaos of our lives when Christ is the closest to us. God’s love and mercy has always hovered over chaos. Now is no different.  We Also need to realize our community is not unique. We have had an increase of deaths not by natural causes. However in my home town of Memphis in one evening fourteen people were killed. Two children were shot and killed in a drive by shooting while they slept in their beds. Every child should feel safe in their bed. I say this not out or disrespect but to note that evil is everywhere. It is now just trickling down to our community. We need to acknowledge that every life matters. Each life needs to matter to us regardless of age, race, religion, or social class. Why? Because each life matters of Christ so as a follower of Christ it needs to matter to us.

We will continue to preach and prayer that's been echoed it basically all scripture that Jesus, is in fact, alive and well. Alive and well in all of us that call ourselves Christians. We will continue to serve the countless number of families that visit the food bank, fellowship meal, and Salvation Army on a weekly basis. We will be intentional on focusing on the youth who are trying to fill the void in their life with sex, drugs, alcohol. It’s a void that only the peace of Jesus can fill. We will remain serving the adults who ended up with a life they never wanted or deserved. We will continue to focus ones in Centralia that lack an understanding of relentless, forgiving, unconditional love.  We will be an oasis where one can find a real relationship with the One who gave them life.  We will provide a place for those who yearn for a faith that fancy coffee bars, energetic PowerPoints, and rock bands cannot satisfy. We will be a place of refuge were everyone is not only welcomed but cherished.  We will proclaim if anything  that Jesus is living in Centralia today.  Jesus befriended the hurt, the broken, the least of these, the ones that society would not even give a chance.... Jesus is running this town, He always has been.  Jesus runs through us though, its his method of operation.  Jesus was a part of saving Murray Center, he was a part of Centralia Group Workcamp, and Jesus was running the streets of Centralia supporting the families and friends of those with cancer and other illnesses. This town is run by Jesus through our actions. Always has, and always will.  It is our job to make sure that we aren't distracted by personal pride and ego in our attempt to serve our city and serve our God... When we serve ourselves instead, the Jesus in us is counterproductive. We must shine God's light - not our own. Because it isn't ours to shine. Our name will not be a brand. Jesus did not need video promos, cool graphics, or tattoo drawn t-shirts. So nether shall we. Christ had himself and his father. So, what do we have in common with Jesus? - Ourselves & our Father. We are responsible; we are the future, with God’s will running through us, their will running through our city. We will cultivate disciples of Jesus. We will be more than a t-shirt wearing disciple. My goal is that someone can come to know hope, love, justice, and the presence of God by being myself, being a light of God our Father. Speaking for the next generation for disciples 20 year old Abby writes “I want to get on outreach: serving the poor, comforting the hurt, broken, and sick. I want to use our money not to be a billboard for Jesus, but use it to be blessing for someone else. I want to use myself not as a billboard, I want to use my talents and gifts God gave me as a hand-holder to the broken.”  

In reflection of the chaos we are enduring. Let us begin to respond accordingly so our name shall be synonymous for a faith family that consistently communicates the message of forgiveness, restoration, and hope. Then God's will to be with us through both the mountains and the dark valleys.

Peace, Love and Happiness:

Tommy 

Memorial Day: The Heros Among Us...

Like most kids my father will always be my hero. While he died suddenly sixteen years ago, I regret not telling him more when he was alive. It seems as I have matured and became a father of my own, his influence has not dwindled.  I have tried to emulate to the best of my abilities his positive attributes and I have learned from his mistakes.  But that is not what this post is about. It wasn’t until after his death that I realized he was a true hero. At the young age of seventeen, he was a young kid aboard the USS Franklin during WWII. The ship, an aircraft carrier loaded with bombs an fuel was attacked off the shore of Japan. That was all the details our father ever shared with us. It was later that I learned the details of this horrible tragedy. While the ship was engulfed in flames many men jumped overboard to their death. My father stayed. The captain refused to let them abandon ship. So for the next two months they stayed aboard a charred ship with thousands of their dead shipmates aboard.  This lasted until they were towed back to the US. I cannot begin to imagine the mental and emotional horror that must have been.  While my father never displayed the physical scars of war he did carry the emotional and psychological scars. Sometimes these can be the worse.  These scars didn’t manifest themselves in violence but one only of distance and sadness. There were moments of emotional instability mixed with some unresolved anger of what happened mixed with the inability to express normal emotions. While my father survived there was a lot of that seventeen year old boy that died that day. Something was lost in war that he never got back. Even with my father’s great qualities and character there was always a large part missing from him. There was something taken that day in war the robbed his children from the wholeness of a father. My point is twofold. First those who serve in war will carry the residual effects for the rest of their life. Even if you cannot see the physical scars, the mental damage is there. Sometimes pride and ego gets in the way of them seeking help. The sacrifice of war in not limited to physical conditions. Those of us who have not served cannot and will not ever understand.  Second on this Memorial Day cherish and remember the person who loved you and is gone. Remember that we never know what all they had to endure in this life. We may never know the emotion scars they carry. Scars cover old wounds with a tougher skin than the original skin to protect it from getting injured again. Last but not least, the world is full of heroes if we dare to notice. One may even be your own father.. Love & Miss You Big Daddy.. 

Thanks for all who served and sacrificed to I could live free…

Tommy

Color Blind.. the day I was called a racist…

There seems to be a lot of race baiting going on these days. We all know the players and this is not the place to start such diatribe or debate. Regardless there seems to be an effort for all people to focus on our differences than the things we find in common. I will admit my life journey this far has lead me down many diverse curvy roads. God has allowed me to experience many different cultures, races, and nationalities. But before we go any further this is not the “I have many (insert color or race here) friends” to try to defend my point of view, validated my opinion, or declare some type of intellectual superiority.  It is just to state that I have been blessed by diversity which may indicate I’m not as big as a jerk as I sometime feel. But the recent media attention to race reminded me of the first time I was called a racist to my face by a coworker.  In shock I reacted in silence. Me? Racist? Now I might have a lot of redneck in me that may come from my DNA but does that automatically align me with the KKK. Instead of agreeing or arguing back I did some serious soul searching. Even trying to live my life with a set of virtues where I honestly try to live without judgment could I deep down is yearning to turn in my clerical black rode I wear for a white one with a hood. So I did some more soul searching.  I made a list of why I honestly did not connect with my coworker. My list was long and included things like narcissistic, closed minded, chauvinistic, rude, and uncooperative. I had a long list with the summation of the guy was just as ass. The color or heritage of the ass did not make my list. I surmised that there are asses of all colors. There are days I am an ass. I pray that I am less of one each day and realize I have a way to go. However we all have differences. We all have preferences. We all have different backgrounds. We all have hardships, heartbreaks, disappointments, and pain in our lives. Hate only breeds on discontentment, entitlement, and lack of compassion. Empathy, understanding, and openness are the only remedy for racism. But it’s a two way street. Each side must be willing to first listen, question second, and lastly defend our position.  For me, I admit to the fact that I am neither a creator nor judge so I relinquish that to God. God does a better job than me in both those arenas.  Plus my hands are full trying to somewhat manage my own life. But in the meantime, maybe instead of baiting we adopt the habit of beginning all discussion on race relations with our commonalities then move deeper in trust and respect to address our differences. Because we all were created differently and it will allow us to eliminated some of the asses. And we just might find our society has more asses and less racist than we think.. 

Until we see each other.. take care of yourself and one another..

Peace Out! Tommy 

Fixing Our Nation’s Problems One Day at A Time.. Sweet Jesus

“When he gets hurt inside and can't get......his emotions into words, he takes to streaking.” Watching the recent “peaceful protest” in Baltimore it occurred to me how to accomplish everyone goals, protect constitutional rights, and protect individuals and communities in one swoop.  All protest from this day forward has to be naked protest. Yes nekkid….  Think about it… 1) No one wants to fight a naked person (period) especially in the street which in return protects both protesters & law enforcement. Much less try to arrest one.  2) No one is gonna be messing with flammable accelerates and fire if they are in their birthday suit. Too risky for burns in private places.

3) It’s hard to loot much if ya ain’t got not pockets.. 

4) News Media would not be able to cover it… Too many naked people to pixel out.. Who wants to watch a bunch of blurred out blob figures marching down the street…  

5) No one is chucking rocks in the nude… think return fire or friendly fire… 

6) If nakedness was required, No A. Sharpton & No J. Jackson would show up… No showboating on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram because of their nudity policy…if any politicians show up to grandstand…. they gotta strip it down as well…    Think about it.. If you are really passionate about the cause, you will drop trousers.... show your support.. show your hinny…  and show you care… and everyone goes home safe..  Neighborhoods stay in tack… it proves we are all vulnerable …  Voices are heard… And mission accomplished…  Baltimore problem solved… Bring on the next problem..Crusing through life One Day At A Time.. Sweet Jesus...

Be careful out there..

Tommy 

A True Thug Don’t Need a Cause to Riot…. Only an Opportunity….

Okay I’m at it again… In the current sermon series I am doing we are looking at the Seven Deadliest Sins…This week as I write or procrastinate writing my next sermon the subject on Anger as sin, I am watching the riots in Baltimore play on for all the world to see. Repeatedly said is “people are angry.” Being angry is a natural healthy human emotion and is a positive igniter for change. However rioting and looting is not.  The art of rioting and looting is just thugonomics 101. A true thug doesn't need a cause to engage in criminal behavior, they just need an opportunity. Whenever thugonomics can be played out on a national stage in front of the national media, that’s even better. My personally favorite was the Michael Jackson impersonator who seized the opportunity to dance in the street as cars were burning and stores were being robbed.  

What shocked me more is the lack of leadership. Baltimore is one of many examples where a totality of leadership has eroded to rock bottom. It is evident from the local elected leaders, to the State elected leaders, to the national elected leaders, no one single person displayed the character or attributes need for leadership in times of crises. We are totally screwed if something happens on a national level. It seems no one knew what to do or had the common sense to know what to do. We as a society have totally failed. We have failed in our political system by electing people not by leadership and decision making skills but by political party affiliation. It’s not a democrat republican thing, it’s a “who can lead us in times of chaos” thing. Our President who should be the most positive role model for any young person he had huge opportunity to say, “stop it.. this is not how we handle things..”  He was silent. The outgoing and incoming Attorney General, both positive role models whose voice would resonate with the young people, was silent. (Honestly this is not a bash these people time, just to say it was a huge missed opportunity and lack of true leadership ability.)

 Our school system has failed to educate. Our family structure is none existent. We have no moral or ethical compass. We excuse thuggish behavior but placing blame on race, economic status, or abuse of authority. In the church we have become so starved for attendance and acceptance, that we rather become political activist instead of preaching and living the gospel.  In the end it’s not about politics, it’s not about police brutality, it’s not about race or the struggles for the poor, it’s about being a good human being. It’s about being a decent person. It’s about pride and saying we are better than this.  It’s not about throwing rocks, lighting fires, looting, and acting like a thug. Violence just begets violence and empathy begets empathy. It’s it ironic that the gangs in Baltimore have united to kill law enforcement officers. (the same gangs that are credited to hundreds of black men being killed yearly)   

So where do we go from here mister smarting pants? Sounding like the ole fart I am becoming maybe we work on just trying to all be better human beings. This saddens me deeply that we don’t know for to behave a decent people. Maybe we begin to make a conscious effort to instill honestly, hard work, discipline, loyalty, compassion and empathy in the lives of the next generations. I personally blame participation trophies but that’s another day. Maybe we focus more on leadership skills and real qualifications when electing people, not just going with the D or R. Maybe we reward our children and grandchildren for their character and real accomplishments instead of just always adjusting the test. Maybe in the church we speak out against evil, even when it’s unpopular or not the cool thing to do. Maybe we need to stop blaming and start fixing.  Maybe we give our young people healthy ways to channel their anger for real change. And maybe just maybe we stop giving thugs excuses to act a fool for the whole world to see. On those rare occasions when they act a fool, we all need to react quickly; justly, unified and forcefully so the thugs are accountable for their actions. I know that’s a lot of maybe’s but don’t we have to start somewhere. Because a true thug doesn't need a cause to riot only an opportunity so as a society let’s stops producing thugs and start producing world changers…Thanks for listening as my therapist says this is good for me... Be nice to one anther..   Peace Out! Tommy  

Let’s Be Honest … I don’t get gay..

My name is Tommy and I admit I don’t understand gay.  While I admit I don’t understand it, it is apparent that our society is fascinated with gay. I mean politicians are trying to get elected or reelected by walking that delicate straight line (no pun intended) between what they should say or not say to get the votes. My Church denomination are urging and using public threats to have us boycott Indiana because of law that I truly don’t understand. I have no clue but think it has to do with a business not serving gay people or something. Heck I have been refused service at all types of establishments and never once was I asked by sexual preferences. Okay maybe I was asked once but that was back in the 80's when all guys had puffy long hair and wore eye liner.  Or maybe because being a white, straight, married, Christian male I am viewed by most as Satan incarnate (not to mention I’m from the South... ). For most, my opinion don’t really matter. And in the grand scheme of society and the thousands of injustices, honestly, it really doesn't. But that never stopped me before.

I don’t get that the best our society has to offer in terms of entertainment is a guy who wants to be a woman. Yeah I get the freak show attraction part but shouldn't a guy/gal be able to live their life however they want to without us gawking. Yeah sure it keeps his/her family in the limelight but aren't they only famous for sex tapes, big butts, and naked selfies. Let’s just keep it in perspective. Anyone should be able to dress, act, or present themselves any way they feel comfortable without ridicule, shame, or viewed as some type of deviant.  I will never understand what it is like to suppress my love for someone without ridicule, rude comments, or embarrassment. I will never know what it is like to not be able to marry the love of my life because I was able to do that freely and without prejudice. I will never know what is like to be disowned by family or friends because of my sexual orientation. I have however been disowned for other reasons. I know it’s painful.  I have always been attracted to women and it’s freely accepted, I have no idea what it’s like to struggle with anything different. I have struggled with being accepted so on a smaller scale maybe I get it.  I have been called lots of names but never demeaning names that are directed to hurt spoken out of pure hatred. I can’t fathom why anyone would be so cruel. This is why I don’t understand gay. Then there is the minister side of me. People ask me all the time what does the Bible say about gay. Honestly it’s not really clear. It’s ambiguous at best.  Those that say it is clear are really just pushing their own agenda.  It is a sin? Is it an abomination? Will gay be damned to hell?  Look I thank God I am not the one who decides what is a sin or not and I got enough sins of my own to content with. Plus you sure don’t want me to be the one who lets people in heaven or not. It’s not my job and I can barely handle the one I got so I’ll leave all that up to God’s higher power. Plus many days I feel damned to earth. So I don’t really know.

Why I don’t know gay and it’s confusing I leave you with what I do know. Gay is confusing for all involved so if you are gay, help us to understand. Seriously help us to understand your struggles, your frustrations, your pain and your anger. It’s not a matter of acceptance by legalize or force , it’s a matter of understanding. With understanding comes compassion, with compassion comes acceptance and with acceptance comes change. I get your mad and frustrated, I would be too, but give us a little slack to work with something we don’t understand. Please don’t automatically expect me to immediately take up your fight only because I’m not the best person to take on anyone’s cause. But because I don’t march in the in streets with leather butt-less chaps or cruse with an equal sticker on my car, doesn't mean I’m not or will not be supportive.  Gay can be very confusing for us heterosexuals. But here is what I do know.  I know that God will judge me one day not on my belief of sexual orientation but the way I treated others.   For me and me alone I strongly believe I am called to love, serve, accept, and embrace all people. All means all. No one takes precedent over another. I wish I could pick and choose who I love, serve, accept and embrace but I can’t.  Gay doesn't define anyone any more than straight defines someone. It’s just a small piece that compasses the totality of a person or defines their character. So everyone be nice. Listen to one another. Try to make up your own mind and not just listen to other talking heads. Gay is confusing for everyone but so is life. I could use a little help in both but if we are all nicer and more open to one another maybe our world can be a little better than it is today…God I miss Honey Boo Boo… I am Tommy and admit I don’t understand gay.. “ Glad you’re here!”    Peace Out.. Tommy 

Maturity… WTH?

Two weeks ago my wife and I had our 21^st wedding anniversary. If you know me that is huge accomplishment to which I do not take lightly. What she finds in me is God's own personal mystery. Although our schedules have not let us properly “celebrated” I am looking forward to that time. But the momentous occasion made me aware that our marriage is now of legal age. What that means I have no idea but hope to uncover the possibilities. However, looking back of where we came from to where we are today, it’s been a journey. It’s been a miraculous journey through loved ones passing, children growing, and life’s unexpected interruptions. But it did spark my reflective juices of just what is maturity. Some of us go through life without it while others seem to acquire it a very early age. So here are my uncollected thoughts on maturity.

Maturity is something some of us have, some of us are still working towards, and some of us never get. Age doesn't necessarily bring about maturity. It’s more than just growing old, grey hairs or eating at Cracker Barrel at 5:00 pm.  Staying young, vibrant and fun has nothing to do with maturity. Maturity is not making the same mistakes over and over again. It is truly learning from all the things in life we have messed up. Like Chinese takeout can be warmed up in the microwaves unless one removes the little metal handle.  Maturity is finding joy and accomplishment in the success and growth of others.  I still find joy in whopping folks in golf, words with friends, and trivia but I mean winning in life. To help someone else accomplish their goals, be a better person, or improve their life is better than doing it yourself.  Maturity is looking at life with a huge amount of gratitude with more focus on what you do have than what is missing. It’s seeing good fortunes are blessings and recognizing what truly is important in life.  Maturity is talking less and listening more. But when you do talk say something important with grace and mercy. Last but not least, I think for me maturity is looking back at certain situations, actions, decisions and dark seasons in my life and saying, “yeah I was an asshole…”  while hoping I am less of one today than I was yesterday.. Off to the Cracker Barrel.. 

Peace out! Tommy