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February | 2007
How often do you come to worship? And why?
I know, I know. That’s not a question I’m supposed to ask. Mister-Father-Priest should just be grateful that anyone bothers to show up at all. I mean, really, have you heard that guy preach?
All considerations of tackiness aside, allow me to offer a simple observation.
You need to be in church on Sunday morning!
Seriously? Seriously. Really? Really, really.
I suppose I should be more creative and gentle. I should beat around the bush for half a page, soothe your feelings and provide you with a well-reasoned argument as to why you should be in church on Sunday morning. Whatever. If you don’t know that you need to worship God with frequent regularity, then we’ve got bigger problems to wrangle.
HOWEVER, because I’m generally a hopeful, optimistic, easy-going kind of guy, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt (this time). Maybe you were sick. Maybe you were out of town (as though that were a legitimate excuse – What? They don’t have churches where you were?). Maybe you hadn’t looked at your calendar and forgot it was Sunday. It happens. I get it. You probably don’t realize how long it’s been since you were there.
So in case you forgot, I’m providing you with a handy refrigerator chart for your home reference. You can use it to track your own worship attendance. It includes the date, day of the church calendar, service times and a box for your þ . Simply cut along the dotted line, tape to fridge and voila! You, too, can stay atop of worship opportunities.
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Okay, if you didn’t realize by now that I was being a tad-bit sarcastic, then put down the phone, don’t call and yell at me, I was just kidding. Mostly. See you Sunday.
In the Grip of Guilt I was sitting in my car at a four-way stop a few days ago when the car behind me honked. It wasn’t a long, loud ‘get-out-of-the-way-you-idiot’ honk; it was more of a short, ‘wake up, lady!’ honk. And to be completely honest, it had been a long day, and I was tired, and I do sometimes get a little lost in my thoughts on days like that, and maybe I did take longer than the obligatory 5 seconds to check that the intersection was clear before pulling out. No big deal, right? But believe it or not, the rest of the way home, I felt a little sting from that honk. I felt bad that I had irritated the other driver. It wasn’t like I berated myself for the next half hour, but I did feel a pang of guilt which, to be honest, I do not think was proportional to the offense of taking three extra seconds stopped when you should be going. I was most definitely born with a guilt complex. Guilt is a funny thing. It can be beneficial and serve a distinct purpose. The absence of it can lead to chaos. After all, if no one ever felt guilty when they’d done something wrong, people would just go around doing wrong things all the time without even caring. I’m no expert, but it seems to me that a healthy dose of guilt is part of a healthy human conscience. But that isn’t the kind of guilt I want to talk about. I’m thinking more about the unhealthy kind. That feeling you get when you feel terrible about something you weren’t really responsible for. When you honestly couldn’t have done otherwise. When you tried your best, gave it all you had, and it still didn’t work out. Or when someone else in your life made a mistake and you feel responsible for it. There is the where did I go wrong? guilt that we parents feel every time our children make bad choices. Even when their children are forty-five years old, parents will attempt to trace those children’s problems all the way back to that time when little Bobby was five and “maybe we pressured him to ride a bike too soon?” And then there is the guilt you staunchly refuse to let go of. You were right to feel it, but you’ve been forgiven, and yet you are still holding onto the guilt with both hands, and your knuckles are beginning to turn white. In these kinds of cases, the guilt—which could have been a stepping stone—becomes a stumbling block. It keeps you from receiving the forgiveness that is being freely offered to you. That guilt reminds you again and again that you don’t deserve to be forgiven. And maybe it’s true. But good news! You’re forgiven anyway. In his book, The Hopeful Heart, John Claypool relates the story of a man who is sitting in his counselor’s office, lamenting his past devastations, regrets, and failures. If only he had done things differently; if only he’d made better choices; if only he’d turned left instead of right… The counselor tells him that the two saddest words in any language are “if only”. Those words are poison. They are an excuse for giving up. They keep us facing the wrong direction. His advice: replace them with “next time.” And then make next time different. So back to my epiphany after the person honked at me the other day. There are clearly two kinds of guilt: constructive and destructive. I have made a decision to stop letting guilt be an unconscious emotion. When I feel that familiar pang in the pit of my stomach, I need to take hold of it and decide which kind of guilt it is. I am perfectly willing to own the guilt I should be feeling when I do something wrong. I just need to learn to stop feeling bad about things that really aren’t my fault. And when things really are my fault, I will seek and accept forgiveness. At that point, the guilt has served its purpose, and I’ll let it go, along with all of my other lost if onlys. And then I will look with forward with hope. Toward next time. ~Tracy Aubin, Editor
Get Ready! Honduras BBQ & Auction It’s almost time again for one of St. Andrew’s biggest annual events: the Honduras Barbeque and Auction! Here’s your chance to play an important part in the success of this event. Think about things that people will bid on for the silent auction. Be creative. Look around your house. Are you a fabulous cook? What about offering a themed dinner for four at your home? Or what about that little cabin your family owns in the mountains? Would you be willing to offer a weekend getaway there to the highest bidder? Maybe your company would generously give a gift certificate for goods or services. Remember, monies raised from your contributions support a very worthy cause. Bring your donations to McKeogh Hall between February 1st and the 16th. Then on February 23rd, pack up your family and friends and head to the coliseum for a great night of food and fun. Enjoy browsing through the auction items, listening to music by Rio—and while you’re at it, why not volunteer to take a shift helping out? We’re looking for people to set up for the event, serve food, and man the childcare area. Food will be served from 5-7:30 p.m. The silent auction will go on from 5-8 p.m. The live auction is at 6:30 p.m. There will be a play area for the kids. Call Kelly Yoemans or Angie De Los Santos for more information. Look for Henry Moore or Kelly Yoemans at church to buy your tickets. Tickets are $4.50 for children, $7 for adults. Get yours now, before they’re going...going….gone!
Youth Corner What is the difference between someone who believes in God—and even believes that Jesus is His son—and a disciple? Or is there a difference? Don’t take my word for it because my theological education in far from extensive, but it seems fairly simple. Where one simply believes, the other takes an extra step by his or her faith and belief and surrenders their life. They become a follower. Where Jesus leads, they follow. And somehow in this mysterious surrender, one begins to see that all they do, all they have, and all they are, belongs to God now. Scripture tells us we are given a new heart. We even begin to think differently and find new priorities beginning to surface, through the Holy Spirit’s leading. Our lives change ! Try as we may, many of us spend most of our lives trying to control everything around us in order to be safe, or escape pain and hurt, or to get what we want. The truth be known, everything we strive so hard to manipulate and control can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. There is one thing, however, that we do control, and that is ourselves. It’s no wonder we resist this surrender of self so deeply in our soul. In scripture it is likened to a dying of sorts, a dying of self. Our Jr. and Sr. high youth are taking a journey for the next twenty weeks. This journey is not physical but rather an intellectual, emotional and spiritual journey to explore being a disciple of Christ. I would ask for your prayers. ~Thanks. Clark Niles, Youth Minister
Women of Faith Fiesta Celebration Ladies, tickets are going
fast for the 2007 Women of Faith Fiesta Celebration! Speakers include Max Lucado, Patsy Clairmont, Sheila Walsh, Luci Swindol, Robin McGraw (Mrs. Dr. Phil) and of course the very funny Chonda Pierce. The conference runs from March 15th through the 17th in San Antonio at the Alamodome. Only $129 buys this wonderful, faith-filled weekend. Make checks payable to St. Andrew's and put WOF in the memo. We still have 50 tickets available and the seating is close to the action! See Gwynne Wright (557-4044 home or 210-288-2843 cell) or Mozzelle Dempster (210-564-6070 day or 303-2054 evening) to get your ticket. Never underestimate the strength of thousands of women singing and praising together to the Glory of our Lord. Come, be a part of this wonderful weekend.
Write This Down for February °February 17th: Vestry Retreat °February 18th: Vestry Meeting °February 20th: Pancake Supper °February 21st: Ash Wednesday °February 22-24: Diocesan Council °February 23rd: Honduras BBQ & Auction
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