Bad Brakes/ Good Breaks

 A few days ago I was helping my son, Josh, change the brakes on his ’97 Maxima. Neither of us had ever done a brake job before.

"How hard could it be?"

How hard could it be? (Frightening words, I know).

Well, in no time we had the car on jacks and the wheels off and we were staring at the brakes. I got the Haynes Service Manual out and Josh got out his smart phone to dial up a How-To You Tube video (it’s a generational thing). About the time I decided there was no further benefit in scratching my head I heard a sound. Sure, it was a distant, muffled rumble, but it seemed to be moving nearer to us. And it was. It got louder and louder, until—the Calvary arrived!

"The brake's up here, near the wheel, right?"

Chuck McMurray arrived on his Harley. Since he is an expert in all things mechanical, the day was saved. “You already have the wheels off? You’ve done the hardest part.”

Thirty-five minutes later, it was all over—except for bragging on ourselves!

It’s amazing what a difference it makes when someone arrives who has been there before.

Chuck, AKA, The Calvary

Jesus understands how we fear the enemy of death. So, just before his crucifixion he tries to comfort the disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2). When it comes to the territory of death, Jesus has already been there. And he has borne the full impact of death on Himself. It is a comfort to be in the presence of One who has been there before. Death has no power over us anymore. It has lost its sting. We’re freed to live with confidence and serenity.

How do we know this?

It’s all in the Service Manual!

Wow! and Wow! Again

I heard about a man who was an executive who did a lot of business traveling. One day when he was on a flight, he commented to himself, “I cannot believe this flight crew. They are the most attentive, responsive flight crew that I’ve ever seen." So, toward the end of the flight, he stopped one of the flight crew members and said, “Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you, but I fly a lot, and I have never seen a flight crew like this. You are the most engaged, enthusiastic, service-oriented flight crew I’ve ever seen.”

The female flight attendant got a little smile on her face as she bent down and whispered to him, “Thank you, sir, but for that you can thank the woman seated back there in 12B.” She paused, nodded her head slightly towards seat 12B, and continued: “You see, sir, the woman in seat 12B is the head supervisor for all of the flight attendants for our airline. And she’s on our flight!”

When we really know that Jesus is in our midst, that he is “on our flight,” it has a profound way of changing the way we serve other people. Well, Jesus was on our flight Sunday and it made our service a beautiful thing.

I was so proud of our church.

There were hundreds of believers swarming over the Belmont Hills Elementary School Sunday, March 17, cleaning, painting, building, landscaping, coordinating and delivering throughout the day. Young and old, black and white, working side by side in the name of Jesus. I believe God was honored by our service. Not only this, but we had scores of preschoolers back on campus working under the direction of Miss Cindi and senior adults undergirding the whole effort with prayer under the direction of Pastor Chuck.

It was a great day all around. This was the largest FIA group we’ve had (approximately 700 among the several churches) and the smallest project-footprint. More than 100 people worked all day Saturday just getting ready for us to arrive! The project wasn’t small by any means, but the footprint in which it all transpired was relatively small. So—we got up close and personal with all the other believers serving here in Smyrna!

Many thanks to Carole Fouts for her organizational acumen, our incredibly competent Team Captains, and many, many volunteers. It was a sight to behold and a wonderful day to remember.

To God be the glory!

Here’s a recap of this year’s activity:

FIA 2013 Work Projects at Belmont Hills Elementary School

Cafeteria:

3 murals

Awning redone

Bear Claw Café (sign, flooring and patio furniture)

2—36ft valances for wall of windows

Artwork on valances

Cafeteria completely painted and blue highlight line added

Cleaning baseboards

Main Hallway

Blue border

Bathrooms

Cleaned, Bear claw murals in all

Whole school

Baseboards, walls and windows cleaned

Playground Equipment

Power washed and painted

Basketball Court

Lines painted, spectator benches built and installed

Central Courtyard

Installed paver pathway

Office area

Bookshelves built and painted

Principal office makeover

Dance Studio

6 wall murals

1^st Grade Courtyard

Block walls painted

Mural painted

Flowers installed

Bird bath and seat added

Mulched area

Fence door

Nature trail area

2 bridges built and installed

Water drainage re-directed

Path mulched

All woods cleared and cleaned out

All trimmings mulched and installed

Teachers’ Workroom

Total Makeover—Cabinets built, murals created, paint, shelving)

Teachers’ Lounge

Area created with furniture, walls painted, organized

Conference Room

Walls painted

Wall to wall book shelves built and painted

Landscaping

Areas mulched and trees pruned and flowers and shrubs planted

Hallway Murals

Picnic Tables built

All Property picked up and trash containers filled

Painting and more painting. Misc. small repair projects

Parking and child care provided

Food and water distribution for vol. and registration team

On-Campus prayer warriors undergirding project throughout the day
Preschoolers served our Police and Fireworkers