Been A While

Well, since I last blogged we have had our Pancake and Sausage Dinner, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, the Spring Church Clean-Up Day, and Easter! It has been a busy few days. Thank goodness my taxes are already done! Everything went very well--from the Fundraiser Dinner to both services on Easter. We also had our first softball practice. It was really fun to get out there and play around and have some good fellowship. We may be a small church, but we are plenty busy! That is fine with me. I would rather be busy than bored any day. Thanks for your support and work making Asbury such an active congregation of believers.

Holy Week

First, don't forget about our Sausage and Pancake Supper this Saturday, March 27 from 4-8pm. Please bring a friend or 8 of them.

Holy Week is approaching! It is quite the roller coaster ride. On Sunday we go from joyous celebration of palm waving and Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his betrayal and death. It is quite an up and down one hour of worship! Then Holy Week continues with a Good Friday service at Nokesville United Methodist Church at 7:30pm (April 2). If you have never been to a Good Friday service, it is quite different from a typical Sunday celebration. Finally we conclude Holy Week with Easter services (April 4). We will have a sunrise service at 6:30am for the whole Nokesville community. In the history of the Christian Church, this has been they holiest of worship services. In the early Church it was the pinnacle of the year; no one missed the Easter sunrise service! Finally we conclude with our tradition Easter service at 10:30am.
Enjoy your Holy Week--the pinnacle of the Christian year--and hang on for the ride!

Church Softball

Well, I will meet with the other coaches for the Manassas Church Softball League tonight. We officially have a team! I think that there are about 15 that are committed to being there every week. We also have a group of people that are willing to play if we need them due to absences and vacations during the Summer. This should be fun and I think we will be pretty competitive in our league and potentially win it! We play on Mondays starting in April. If you are not on the team, come out anyway and support us.

My Apologies

I have not blogged in a while and I am sorry. I have been crazy busy. Along with the requirements of planning and preparing worship and the sermon (which usually takes about 10 hours/week), I have other responsibilities from the Virginia Annual Conference. For example, each month I go to a clergy meeting somewhere in Northern Virginia. This Saturday I have to travel to Richmond for a meeting for a half day. There have been many other things at church that have taken my time as well. However, there are also things at home. I am in the midst of renovating our living and dining room as well as our main floor bathroom (you will be invited over soon so that I can brag). Finally, since Alethea works full time, I have to take care of the kids often. Needless to say, I do not have very much free time and it has been obvious. I have struggled the past few weeks in all aspects, not just this blog. Therefore, I apologize. I will do better. Blessings.

Progress Report

Above is a picture of my son shooting Goliath with his toy gun! It has absolutely nothing to do with this blog. Sorry!

Okay, want to know how my Lenten fasts are going? Probably not, but I am going to tell you anyway. First, I have given up all sodas, all desserts and candy, and all fried food. Talk about a change in lifestyle! I have thought a lot this past week about what Christ gave up for me. It has been difficult for me, but I am sure it was difficult for Christ as well.

On the other hand, I have failed to take something on. I have not called anyone from church during Lent. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I would probably leave someone out and I did not want to do that. Plus, I have been struggling so much will my fast, that I forgot to call anyone the first few days when I was curled up in a ball on the couch with a pounding headache due to sugar and caffeine withdraw! I have failed, but I am forgiven. Thanks be to God.

Lent

Lent begins today!! I have often been a rebel when it comes to Lent. Instead of giving something up like chocolate or soda, I have taken something on. For example, I have taken five more minutes every morning to pray for those in my church. I have taken time at night to call someone that was on my mind thinking that perhaps God was speaking to me through these urgings. This year I am doing both. I will be on a workout regimen called Body For Life. I have not been taking good care of my body. I eat junk and fail to exercise consistently. It will be a huge change for me. I am also going to call up one person from church each day and let them know that I am praying for them today. What are you doing this Lent to come closer to God? Let us journey together!

Church is Cancelled

You guessed it, church is cancelled for tomorrow, Sunday, February 7, due to a light dusting of snow across the area. Enjoy some family time and stay off the streets.