Senior Adult Sunday

It's been a good week so far, here on N. Wintzell. The Labor Day holiday was beautiful. I had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time with Dad out on the water and it couldn't have been a better day for it. The lunch menu included shrimp and bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin. Shrimp, bacon, and pork tenderloin all make the list of foods that are hard to mess up.

Going into the weekend, I was concerned about our attendance, given the holiday weekend and the beautiful weather. We launched a new young adult Sunday School class, and I was hoping for a big day. Imagine my surprise when I saw that hope realized! I'm blessed by people who are faithful to the church and take the opportunity to be involved in it. On Labor Day weekend, we had our highest Sunday School attendance to date in my short tenure at FBC. I'm excited about what God is doing in our midst and hope to see God continue to grow the ministry of His church.

I'm excited about this Sunday because it will see us recognize a group of folks that may often go overlooked in the life of the church: Senior Adults. Every time I talk to people that are "in the know" about church growth, we inevitably talk about the challenges of involving young families and young adults in the church. How can we engage them? What are their needs and interests? What can we do to minister to them? I believe that these are important questions and that we should be asking them. I recognize, however, that none of us is asking those kinds of questions about our senior adults. For many congregations (ours included) those seniors have been the backbone for years and continue in that role today. They are faithful to pray, give, and participate in the ministries of the church. Unfortunately, their faithfulness leads us to take their contributions for granted. When someone has served in the church for 40, 50, or 60 years we may not see the value of their service.

With that in mind, Senior Adult Sunday provides us with an opportunity to recognize these men and women and to thank them for the many ways that they contribute to the work of the Kingdom, both in days past and in days to come. My life has been enriched by many seniors. I'm continually blessed by their prayers, love, and encouragement. I'm thankful for the legacy of faithfulness that these men and women have prepared for myself and other leaders to inherit.

This week, when you see a Senior Adult, take the opportunity to hug their necks. Engage them in conversation. Spend time with them. Let them know that you care about them, and thank them for the love that they have offered you. Hopefully I'll make it to Senior Adult status one day (discounts at the Golden Corral!)and I hope that when I do I will carry with me the same kind of legacy that I've seen in the lives of so many men and women I've known in my life. That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell

The Weekend Ahead

Since football has officially arrived with the kickoff of the college football season last night, I thought I'd give y'all a quick overview of my thoughts going into the weekend! Disclaimer: I don't plan on giving any predictions on scores etc. Because I really have no idea what I'm talking about, but perhaps I'll be able to provide a little bit of out of the box insight.

Friday Night: September 3rd

Alma Bryant vs. Mattie T. Blount

I'll be on the sidelines for this one, and I'm hoping for a good showing by the alma mater. Both teams are coming off of tough losses. Bryant fell to Daphne last week, while Blount took it on the chin in Prattville. This is a region game, and a win would go a long way towards Bryant's aspirations to return to the playoffs in 2010. Whenever I think of Blount, I will always remember their 1998 squad, which featured DeMarco McNeal and Deandre Green, two of the most physically imposing high school football players I've ever seen. As a senior, we watched game film of them in preparation for our matchup with Vigor, and I remember thinking "I'm glad they're in 5A".

Saturday: September 4th

Penn State vs. Youngstown St.

I don't really have any doubt about the outcome of this one, but I will be interested to get a preview of Penn St. prior to next week's clash at Bryant-Denny.

Alabama/Auburn vs. Directional Institution of Your Choice

Not a lot to be excited about in either of these matchups, but it's honest to goodness football featuring our state teams. If these games aren't blowouts, there will be an awful lot of teeth-gnashing around the state. Stay safe boys and get ready for next week! Also, this puts another week closer to the return of Marcel Dareus and Mark Ingram.

North Carolina vs. LSU

Will there be any Tar Heels left to play in this game? Apparently Les Miles is living right, because a win here will only be remembered as a win vs. UNC, a favorite to win the ACC, not as a win against UNC, a team that may not be able to field a complete defense because of Agentgate. A big win here also may help cool Miles' seat a little bit. All fans of the SEC West ought to be cheering for LSU (regional pride, etc.) because, otherwise, they might fire Miles and hire a competent head coach.

Monday: September 6th

Boise State vs. Virginia Tech

In the most exciting matchup of the weekend, I hope to see Virginia Tech smash Boise. I don't like Boise. Not there blue turf, not their dipsy-doo trickeroo plays, their weak schedule, or their chest-thumping about the greatness of their great win over Oklahoma a few years back. Tech, strike a blow for the big boys and end the Cinderella talk now.

A Link

Just thought I'd share a link with my readers today. I really think that Dr. Moore hits the nail on the head with this article and I think that he's articulated what a number of evangelicals are thinking. God, give us a singleness of purpose!

Check out the article here.

Kids These Days!

As I begin today's brief post, I hope that you will take a moment and enjoy the video below:



This video was produced by four of my former students from FBC Wetumpka. Rodney Riggs, Jake Levins, David Windham, and Cody Arant are the young men teaching you some basic principles of Calculus. My observations on the video:

1) When did kids start getting projects like this? I think the most technologically advanced thing I ever did in school was make a poster.

2) I'm digging the wardrobe. Guys, I think it represents a definite improvement!

3) Pretty impressive parabola you've got there.

4) I don't remember learning a lot of those things in Cal I. Apparently 1999 was farther back than I thought.

5) I'm blessed by students that are gifted by God to do great things. I'm even more blessed because I know these young men and have seen God do great things through them.

That's all for today, but be sure to check in next time for my view from N. Wintzell!

Two More Days

"Men are clinging to football on a level we aren't even aware of. For centuries, we ruled everything, and now, in the last ten minutes, there are all these incursions by women. It's our Alamo."

We're only two days away. After an entire off season of waiting, it's finally time. Preseason camps are drawing to a close and it's game week for high schools across the state of Alabama. College games will start a week later, followed by the pros a week later. Last season was the greatest season of my life. My beloved Crimson Tide won the BCS National Championship and was led by Mark Ingram en route to the team's first win of the trophy that dare not be named. As an Alabama fan, this was outstanding, but was also to be expected. For better or for worse, it's in our DNA to expect excellence out of our team. (To my wife and others that are about to complain about my use of "our" to describe a football team: I help buy the merchandise and watch the games on tv that reap financial benefits for "our" team. I'm a part of the team, and look for my national championship ring to come in any day now. Also, if it weren't for my lucky shirt, we'd have never survived that Tennessee game.)

The greatness of last season was found in the unexpected: My Saints won the Super Bowl. If that statement doesn't take your breath away, you obviously either don't bleed black and gold, or you are a bandwagon jumper. I've been a Saints fan as long as I can remember. I was born during the Aints era and I've lived through an awful lot of ups and downs with this team. I fondly remember Pat Swilling and Ricky Jackson, Bobby Hebert and Dalton Hilliard, the Dome Patrol and the antics of Jim Mora. The rhythm of the first 25 years of my life was to go to church, make it home right after kickoff, watch the Saints build a nice lead in the first half, fall asleep at halftime, and wake up with just enough time to see my Saints blow the game in spectacular fashion.



Every year I get excited about the Saints, only to see my hopes dashed on the rocks of cruel reality. During last year's run, I promised myself that I wouldn't get emotionally involved in the outcome of their games. During the NFC Championship game, I had a youth event and was unable to do anything but check my Blackberry over and over again for score updates. I got in my truck just in time to hear Bobby Hebert tell the world, "The Saints are going to the Super Bowl!" All by myself, in my truck, in a church parking lot in Central Alabama, I went crazy. All hopes of maintaining my composure were lost. I managed to stay low key through the Super Bowl, going to church and coming home in time for the second half. My wife and kids went on to bed and I stayed up in eager anticipation of the final moments. Interception. Touchdown! Ballgame. I sat by myself in my living room and did what any respectable, reasonable grown man would have done in my situation. I cried like a baby. I witnessed something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. My Saints won the Super Bowl. My family got in on the ground floor with the Saints, and 43 years later we saw it all come to fruition. All of those years of yelling at the tv, all of those naps ruined, even the remote control that I broke throwing it on the floor in the 8th grade-- all of that defeat was swallowed up in the greatest football victory I could imagine. I thought of Buddy D. I'm not sure what Buddy D. would have said about the Saints winning the Super Bowl. I know it would have come out as completely unintelligible gibberish and it would have been great.

Now here I am. I got to spend last Thursday on the sidelines at my alma mater, Alma Bryant High School with the team. I help out as a team chaplain along with my friend Chris Taylor. I'm obviously way past my prime. I find that I relate more easily to the coaches than the players, since we're the same age. When I last walked off of a high school football field as a player in November 1998, the class of 2011 was in Kindergarten. I still love it. I love being out there, celebrating the good and lamenting the bad. I love listening to the band and watching the crowd. I love watching these guys come together and build a bond that is greater than they can imagine. The practice games are gone. Saturday morning will arrive before you know it and half of the state will be 1-0 while the other half is 0-1, but between here and there, we've got a football game to play. I'm counting down, are you?

Hungry?

Hunger is one of the least pleasant experiences we can have as humans, isn't it? Over the past two weeks, I've started an effort to lose a few of these unsightly pounds (and I carry a number of them). The problem is that I hate to be hungry and I love to enjoy food. It consumes my thoughts, blurs my vision, and drives me to extraordinary measures to pursue it. Food can only be truly appreciated by those who are hungry for it. As I drove into town today, I faced a minor pang of hunger. Even through this light distraction, all of my thoughts turned to my hunger. Each restaurant I passed called to me with the promise of some delicacy that would sate my desire for lunch. This hunger controlled everything that I did. Until I took the opportunity to eat lunch, my focus was on nothing but my desire food.

Similarly, in the past 24 hours I've found myself filled with deep spiritual dissatisfaction. I'm hungry to see God grow me more into the man that He is making me to be. I want to see Him working in the hearts and lives of our church so that He would be glorified in our midst and that we would take action to spread His fame to the world beyond our walls. Last night and today, I've prayed for God to give us a vision for how He would use us as a part of the church's mission on Earth.

Today, I was reminded of the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Matthew 5:6

May we all hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Christ in our selves, our families, and our churches. May we see that hunger filled. Would you join me in praying?

Back to School

It's that time of year again, as students mark the beginning of a new school year. At my house, it's a little different, as we are all affected by the return to class. As most of you know, my wife Suzanne is a teacher, so the return to school means that she has to go back to the grind of the daily school routine. Maggie has made the big leap forward and is joining Suzanne as a Dixon Dolphin in the 4K program. So far, so good on that count. She seems to be settling in well and is enjoying her new class, teacher, and friends. Joseph moved into 3K this week and he appears to be enjoying learning about his ABC's and 123's.

Even I'm affected by the return to school. Last Spring I started the journey back to school after 4 years out. I'm a doctoral student at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm currently preparing for my Fall trimester seminar, and I look forward to what it holds. In the meantime, I've got a lot to do to get ready. So, for both of my readers, don't be surprised if posting is a bit lighter over the next month or so. Check in regularly, though, because I do plan on posting!