Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the flow of things. If everyone is having a second piece of pie, or more strawberry shortcake, why not? If everyone in my circle of friends has a brand new and fashionable jacket, somehow I feel left behind if I don’t have one just like it, too. What about the newest cell phone? It seems as if they come out with a new one daily. Do you have the best plan that goes with it? Do you have a big flat screen TV? If you don’t (I don’t), sometimes you wonder why not. If I don’t have what someone else has, I’m simply not making it, or so it’s easy to think.

The same is true for attitude. Sometimes if everyone is grouchy, it is easy to chime in. If everyone is short tempered, it gives me an excuse to be the same way. Look out! It’s going to be quite a day!

This summer, it can be easy to be down in the dumps, if we listen to the news. We are in the recession that seemingly will not end. Unemployment is stuck at about ten percent. Two wars that seem to be in stalemate. The oil disaster in the Gulf. The list goes on and on.

We don’t often think of it, but the same can be true of a good attitude, too. I don’t see it very often, but if you meet a really positive and upbeat person, why not copy that? You can, you know. What if you deal with someone who is simply a joy to work with today. It might be the only person in your day who is like that, but they are there, nonetheless. Do you know that you can copy that and implement it into your own life? You can. I like to think of that person as a messenger from God. An angel, if you will. We can’t always control what is in our lives, but we can have some control about how it is that we react to what happens to us. In that sense, we have more control than we think we do.

We can’t control the weather. We can’t control world events. But we do have a choice about how we can respond to those things which go on all around us. The bible offers us this: “I wash my hands to declare my innocence. I come to your altar, O Lord, singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your miracles. I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glory shines” (Ps. 26:6-8). The bible also tells us, “Choose this day how you shall live.” This day is a gift, a good gift from God. Use it or lose it, as they say. If you use this summer day wisely, it will truly be a good gift from God.

Rev. Keith

On Confirmation Sunday I told several stories to the Confirmation Students to help them to prepare for the challenges of life. So many folks asked me for a copy of this I decided to share it with everyone.

Items Needed:

A Toothpick
A Rubber Band
A Band-Aid
A Pencil
An Eraser
Some Chewing Gum
A Mint
A Candy Kiss
A Tea Bag

1) A Toothpick -- to remind you to pick out the good qualities in others -- Matt. 7:1

2) A Rubber Band -- to remind you to be flexible, things might not always go the way you want, but it will work out -- Romans 8:28

3) A Band Aid -- to remind you to heal hurt feelings, yours or someone else's -- Col. 3:12-14

4) A Pencil -- to remind you to list your blessings everyday -- Eph.1 :3

5) An Eraser --To remind you that everyone makes mistakes, and it's ok -- Gen. 50:15-21

6) Some Chewing gum -- to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything with Jesus
-- Phil. 4:13

7) A Mint -- to remind you that you are worth a mint to your heavenly father -- John 3:16-17

8) A Candy Kiss -- to remind you that everyone needs a kiss or a hug every day -- 1 John 4:7

9) A Tea Bag -- to remind you to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings -- 1 Thess. 5:18

Anon.

Wishing you God's blessings,

Rev. Keith

I often hear people say to me in one form or another, “The Bible is about people who lived a long time ago. What could it possibly have to do with me?” Sometimes they say, “I went to church a couple of times, but nothing changed.” Or sometimes they say, “Sunday is the only day I get to sleep,” or “I got knocked around by life, and you know, I’m still angry about it. It must be God’s fault.” Sometimes I think I’ve heard them all.
One of the reasons that we gather as a people of God each and every Sunday is in some way to answer those self same questions. This year on April 4, we will celebrate Easter. We will have flowers and music. Some of us will rise before dawn and greet the sun and have breakfast together at Apple Hill Farm. Some will gather in our sanctuary, which will be filled with flowers, symbols of spring and new life. We will read the Easter story, about how after Jesus was scourged and executed and was truly dead and buried, he, through the miraculous life giving power of God, rose from the grave, and the world has not been the same since.
The truth about the story of Easter is not only about Jesus. If you take some time and read the story, the first disciples of Jesus ran away. They ran away on Thursday and Friday. In Mark’s gospel, when the first followers of Jesus had reached the tomb on that first Easter Sunday, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe who told them that Jesus was not there, but he was going to meet them back home in Galilee. And the bible tells us “So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (Mk. 16:8). The truth is, the first disciples and followers of Jesus were just like us. They were people who worked for a living, and worried about their kids.

They were business people, hated tax collectors, feared soldiers. They were mothers, sons, daughters, widows, prostitutes, and the infirm. They were young and old, rich and poor. They felt that they had as much right to follow Jesus as anyone else did. Life has always been messy, and sometimes there are no clear answers, at least not any which are immediately apparent. Too often when the going gets rough, the church people run, and they run right out of the church. The problem with this is you can’t get in the habit of running from everything because the mess will keep following you until you learn to deal with it. God is yours, and the church is yours. Always and forever. It might not always be perfect, but life is not perfect.
Countless people faith struggle just like you do. What they find when they have the courage and the guts to stick with it is that the problems ease, and through faith and hard work, the problems often transform themselves into opportunities. Divine love can sometimes be compared to a power cord. It works best when it is connected. The light shines when you are connected to the divine. You do your best when you are connected to God. It has always been that way. Hook up to that divine power today. It is part of the journey of discipleship. It is not always easy, but it can be exciting and powerful if you stick with it.

Faithfully,

Rev. Keith

There are some days which seem different than others. For American people, The Fourth of July is such a day. Memorial Day is such a day, too, with its parades and speeches. Labor Day means the end of summer. Thanksgiving is a day in which we often have a gathering and a good meal. Christmas Day is one in which the culture stops and perhaps is peaceful for a few hours. Perhaps your birthday is a special day for you, or your anniversary, or the day in which you graduated from school. There are other days which seem to be weightier than others. September 11 and December 7 are two such days. If you’ve lost someone dear to you, those days are often remembered.

This year, there are three days which have special meaning in the Christian year which culminate in the Festival of Easter. They are called “The Three Days” and are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Although they fall from sundown on April 1 and go thru sundown on Easter Day (sundown on April 1 - sundown on April 2 is one day, and so on), they are called “The Three Days.” As people of faith we commemorate these three special days leading up to the celebration of Easter. They are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, and according to tradition they are called the Triduum. Triduum is a Latin word that refers to the three days from sundown on Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday) to sundown on Easter Sunday. Triduum is pronounced tree do ‘em. Now you know a fancy word that you can use to impress your family and friends. Maundy Thursday is the day in which Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples. Jesus changed that meal into something else, something which we still celebrate today. It is called The Last Supper or Communion. Maundy Thursday is also the day in which we remember Jesus gathering with his disciples in the garden. It was there that Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and delivered into the hands of his enemies. Good Friday is the day in which Jesus is nailed to the cross and crucified. Good Friday is the day on which Jesus died. Good Friday is the day on which the body of Jesus is taken down, quickly and improperly anointed and prepared for burial, and placed in a borrowed tomb.
Holy Saturday is the day in which Jesus’ disciples were in shock and mourning, for their Lord and friend was dead, buried, and in a tomb. We remember all of these days because they add special meaning to what God did for us at Easter.
Relief carving placed outside of the location of the home of Caiaphas, the High Priest in Jerusalem. Photo by The Rev. Dr. Keith C. Alderman.

I’ve included two photos in this article. The first photo is one which I took in the place, the dungeon in which Jesus was kept as he was awaiting trial. The dungeon is an oblong hole carved out of the solid limestone. You get a sense of the proportions and scale of it from the size of the people in the photograph. At the top of the dungeon is the place where they threw Jesus (and anyone else) in. The dungeon was deep enough that even if a person stood on the shoulders of another, they could not get out. Jesus was in a dungeon and sometimes we feel as if we have been in something like that, too.
People in our mostly secular culture don’t remember or celebrate The Three Days much any more. Many churches are mostly empty during the services. This year, I invite you to remember again (or perhaps for the first time) the trials that Jesus went through because they have something very important to say about our lives and to our souls. If you’ve been betrayed, Jesus was there first. If you’ve ever felt lonely, Jesus is there to meet you because he’s traveled that road before. If you have felt forgotten and abandoned, Jesus knows what it is like because he’s been there. If you’ve been beaten or tortured, Jesus knows all about that from firsthand experience. If you’ve been hung out to ridicule and scorn, Jesus has been there, too. He has told us “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account” (Mt. 5:11). The Three Days can teach us that we need not travel our difficult days by ourselves. God has been there first, and wants us to know that if we call on God’s name, we are never alone.
Faithfully,

Rev. Keith

In life, there are some questions we like, and some which are more difficult. We tend to like questions such as, “How do you manage to look younger?” or “How have you lost so much weight?” Other questions we are less comfortable with, such as “Aren’t you done with that yet?” or “What’s taking you so long?”
Young kids tend to ask uncomfortable questions such as “Why is your hair gray (or gone)?” or “Do you remember the dinosaurs?
In the bible, almost from the beginning there have been questions. In Genesis, the first book of the bible, after God makes the heavens and the earth, and creates man and woman, the first couple finds themselves in the garden of Eden having eaten of the fruit which God told them not to eat. God asks them, “Where are you?” and “Have you eaten from the tree of which I command you not to eat?” (Gen. 3). If you are alive, there are questions. Some of the questions are profound, and some of the questions are difficult.
Sometimes God seems distant or even absent from our lives. At one time or another, we have all asked the proverbial question, “Where In The World Is God?”
This year, February 17, 2010, is Ash Wednesday, and marks the beginning of the Lenten Season. Lent is time set aside in the church year to prepare for the celebration of Easter. Lent is designed to be approximately one tenth of the year long, a period which we are invited to rededicate ourselves back to God through prayer, meditation, and service.
During this Lenten season I am going to offer an evening study entitled “Where In The World Is God?” It will be held every Tuesday at 7:30 PM during the season of Lent (beginning on February 23, 2010). We offer this as a way to get closer to the questions which surround our understanding of God. It is my hope that this study will offer an opportunity for study and centering prayer.
The Lenten season is one where our faith is both challenged and strengthened. It is a season where we are invited to investigate our fears and turn them into strengths. Harry Emmerson Fosdick was a famous 20th Century theologian and preacher. He had this to say about the role of faith in our lives. He wrote, “Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable - and most of all, fear put hopelessness in the heart of life, while faith rejoices in its God.”

Faithfully,
Rev. Keith

LENTEN STUDY TUESDAY EVENINGS DURING LENT, 6:30 P.M.

Not long ago, someone asked me to show them where some important passages are in the Bible. I did. Here are a few more. Keep this page and put it in your Bible for the times when you really need it. The following passages will help you through many of life=s situations.

When you need healing, read Psalm 107:19-21.
When God seems absent, read Psalm 23.
When you need help, read Psalm 121.
When you feel the blues, read Psalm 34.
When you feel weak, read Philippians 4:13.
When you feel anxious, read Luke 12:29-34.
When God seems far away, read Psalm 139.
When you feel as though enemies surround you, read Psalm 59.
When you feel as if life has not given you enough, read Matthew 6:25-29.
When you feel envy, read Psalm 37:1-4.
When you feel you=ve been wronged, read Psalm 6:8-10.
When you want to know the benefit of trusting God, read Psalm 146:5-10.
When you need to feel a sense of peace in your life, read John 14:27.
When you have doubts about God, read Mark 11:22-24.
When you are feeling sorrow, read Revelation 21:4.
When you are feeling grief, read Isaiah 43:2.
When you feel temptation, read Ephesians 6:10-18.
When you feel confused, read 1 Corinthians 14:33.
When you feel lonely, read Romans 8:35-39.
When you worry, read Psalm 6:19-34.
When you want to know how to give love and receive love, read 1 Cor. 13.
When you need to express Thanksgiving, read Psalm 65.
When you want to know the secret of happiness, read Colossians 3:12-17.
When you are living through tough times, read 2 Thessalonians 3:3.
When you need to feel God=s incredible love for you, read Deuteronomy 7:7-8

Turning to these verses will help you to have a Happy New Year.
Rev. Keith