http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/ Let the Goose Fly   Well here we are at the beginning of the summer, a time for some at least, for a change of plans, a change of pace.  We used to describe that as the lazy, hazy days of summer.   And maybe those days do come, say mid July and August, but now the image that comes to mind is of folks making mad dash for the waters of a beach.  We’ve been cooped up, confined, and now at last we break free from our dull, wearisome routine to do something exciting and energizing.   I used to hate the fact that Pentecost, the observance of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples, always fell near the beginning of summer.  It seemed to get lost there.  And I suppose that’s true.  But it may be that it also fits.  For isn’t breaking free from the conventional, the expected, the ordinary, the routine, into the creative, the dynamic, the innovative, the visionary what the Holy Spirit is all about?  The Holy Spirit is the power of God unleashing the potential of Christ’s church, in many cases, undiscovered or unrealized potential.     And goodness knows we need the Holy Spirit.  You see in the church, as in most every human institution, there is a tendency to get stuck.  We have an idea.  It seems to work.  Then we repeat the process, which is fine, but all to soon we’ve turned the idea into a pattern and then a policy, and then before you know it, we’re turning it into law, and pretty soon you have such an airtight system that no fresh breeze dares blow through.  But the Holy Spirit is God’s intervention into that scenario—God’s breaking into and breaking through so that we can break free to do that which we never dreamed.   In preparing for the class on Celtic Christianity, I was reminded that the ancient Celts thought of the Holy Spirit not as a dove, but as a goose.  Most say that that is simply because geese are far more frequent in the British Isles than doves.  But whatever the reason, you have to agree that there is a stark contrast. Doves tend to be small and timid and meek and peaceful, ever cooing.  Geese on the other hand, from my experience, tend to be big, old, honkin’, and wild—abrasive, obnoxious, and not to be ignored—anything but tame.  I once saw a goose chase a guy who had hit a golf ball near him out of that fairway, through a second, and into a third.  Yes, an encounter with a goose will by necessity open up new possibilities, even if its just realizing unknown foot speed.  So, unbiblical though it may be, maybe the Celts were on to something.  And understanding this about the Holy Spirit, then, begs a question:  Does it have to be that way?  Do we have to get stuck?  Does the Holy Spirit have to come crashing in?  Can we structure our hearts, our lives, our families, our church, our future in such a way that allows for the entrance of the Spirit without it having to break down the door?  Quincy Jones once said that Stevie Wonder would rehearse a song to a place slightly short of perfection and then stop rehearsal and say, “Let’s leave a little space for the spirit to walk through.”     I believe friends, that the Spirit is among us, that the Spirit is trying to teach us some new things about ourselves and our potential and our future.  So, let’s listen up and “leave a little space.”  We need not fear the Spirit.  Oh, it may be wild, but it only seeks to enable us to do that which lies beyond our dreams. Grace, David Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:56:22 GMT en-us Copyright 2012 First Baptist Church Of Memphis http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/on-leaving-nets/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/on-leaving-nets/ Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:56:22 GMT I was  reading texts for Epiphany and came up on that wonderful text in Mark 1 where Jesus walks by, says to the disciples, “Follow me,” and the disciples leave their nets and follow.   Just like that, they ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/god-of-all-time/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/god-of-all-time/ Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:00:04 GMT When I lived in Fayetteville, my church there had the most wonderful arrangement with our Jewish Synagogue.  They would provide adults to do childcare for us on Christmas Eve and Easter.  We would provide adults to do childcare for ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/energized-to-wait/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/energized-to-wait/ Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:35:35 GMT Mark Wheeler writes: “The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. It is a place where life is put on hold. In my doctor’s office, it feels like hours have passed, and yet when I look at my watch, it’s been only ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/giving-thanks-for-saints/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/giving-thanks-for-saints/ Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:52:35 GMT At our last communion service, I preached a sermon on what makes a meal “memorable.”  Those are words that we most often associate with communion.  “This do in remembrance of me.”  And communion is ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/sacred-moments/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/sacred-moments/ Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:00:02 GMT One good idea.  That’s all it takes many times to be the basis of a good book, company, a career.   Henry Blackaby was one such person who benefited from this truth.  He took one concept and turned it into Christian ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/getting-back-into-the-routine/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/getting-back-into-the-routine/ Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:03 GMT Well, despite the temperature outside and what the actual seasonal calendar says, summer is over.  The school year, which determines so much of how our society works and functions, has begun.  To accompany this, we hear/say a phrase ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/doing-creation-work-with-some-creative-folk/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/doing-creation-work-with-some-creative-folk/ Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:35:21 GMT Are you creative?  Well, by the very definition of disciple of Jesus you sort of are, whether you realize it or not.   Now true, disciple means in its purest sense “follower” or “student.”   But ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/letting-go-to-open-up/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/letting-go-to-open-up/ Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:00:02 GMT Over the course of the last several weeks, as I have once again read the texts of Christ’s crucifixion, resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost, I have been struck at the whirlwind of change those events must have created in the lives of the ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/state-of-the-church/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/state-of-the-church/ Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:54:57 GMT On May 10 it was announced that President Obama would be speaking at the Booker T. Washington High School Graduation.   I hope you have been following that story on the local news.  I voted on-line repeatedly.  I hope you did ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/raised-to-walk-in-new-life/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/raised-to-walk-in-new-life/ Sun, 01 May 2011 19:29:47 GMT Alleluia!  Christ is Risen!  He is Risen, Indeed!  Alleluia!  Let the bells ring, let the hymns be sung, let the people rejoice!   This is the season of resurrection, when we celebrate that life is greater than ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/moving-beyond/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/moving-beyond/ Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:32:16 GMT Recently, I have become a rather dedicated participant in the phenomenon known as Facebook.  It has many benefits.  As someone who has been rather transient in my life, it has been an indescribable gift.  It has reconnected me to ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/together/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/together/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:04:55 GMT As I began to think about this article, I remembered that this is the month of Valentines, the month of Love, the month we celebrate that connection we have to those nearest and dearest to us, especially if that connection is a romantic ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/this-is-the-day/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/this-is-the-day/ Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:47:04 GMT I’m writing this article on one of those cold, dreary, wet days in the middle of December.  I know it most likely foreshadows much of what is to come after the new year.  That’s what January is like, most of the time, here ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/coming-home-for-christmas/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/coming-home-for-christmas/ Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:32:13 GMT For a lot of us, Christmas is about home. It's about going home, if home is elsewhere. Its about others coming home, if home is here. It's about reconnecting with those that we are connected to whether we like them all or not or whether it's ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/change-is-hard-but-we-can-do-hard-things/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/change-is-hard-but-we-can-do-hard-things/ Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:06:54 GMT Change is hard, no matter how you slice it. It's difficult. We are creatures of habit. We desire and seek out the familiar, the comfortable. We don't have to think about those things. They don't demand much of us. They don't stretch new ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/a-prayer-for-memphis/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/a-prayer-for-memphis/ Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:43:35 GMT On Thursday evening, September 16, it was our privilege to join close to 20 Jewish and Christian congregations of all racial backgrounds at the Levitt Shell for the Tear Down the Walls concert. Rick Kirchoff, pastor at Germantown Methodist ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/more-than-i-can-say-grace-over/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/more-than-i-can-say-grace-over/ Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:24:04 GMT Have you ever heard that phrase? I thought it was fairly common, but I could not find it on Google. It’s a phrase which, of course, speaks to the busyness of life. It’s an answer to the question, “What’s going ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/re-entry/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/re-entry/ Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:45:57 GMT You don’t have to be a science fiction fan to be familiar with the word “re-entry,” but it helps. No matter the movie, it almost always involves some journey elsewhere, and then a return journey home which involves re-entry. ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/and-the-little-children-shall-lead-them/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/and-the-little-children-shall-lead-them/ Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:04:53 GMT I don’t know about you, but I’ve been dealing with a lot of big people issues as of late. Church policy, personal finances and loans, funerals, counseling adults, broken down cars, etc. Necessary and good things, one and all, each ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/we-dont-do-it-alone/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/we-dont-do-it-alone/ Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:51:10 GMT No doubt you have either heard or read the one about the brick layer who was injured on the job and filled in the “cause of accident” blank on his insurance application “trying to do the job alone.” The insurance agency ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/follow-through/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/follow-through/ Sat, 01 May 2010 15:47:10 GMT Back when I was in Little League, I played with this guy who was quite talented. He played second base, batted second on the team…one of our best all around players, no doubt. But he had this weird way of swinging, hitting the ball, and ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/breath-of-life/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/breath-of-life/ Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:17:12 GMT In the second chapter of Genesis, we have what scholars call the microview or snap shot of creation. Genesis one is the macroview, the panoramic, all inclusive perspective. God creates everything in wide broad grand strokes. Genesis two, ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/you-cant-give-what-you-dont-have/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/you-cant-give-what-you-dont-have/ Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:14:27 GMT This is one of the lines that Martha Grace Reese uses in her book Unbinding the Gospel to speak to the obvious truth that if we are to reach out and share our faith, we must have a faith to begin with. Furthermore, writes Reese, if you want ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/unbinding-the-gospel/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/unbinding-the-gospel/ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:50:35 GMT Maybe too much has been made over the years of the detail included in the story of Lazarus where Lazarus comes out of the tomb and Jesus tells those present to “Unbind him, let him go.”  It could be nothing more than Jesus ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/behold-i-will-do-a-new-thing/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/behold-i-will-do-a-new-thing/ Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:47:29 GMT Try to forget the fact that those words come from the Bible and that God said them.  And just look at them a moment, and react to them.  Is it a good thing?  Or a bad thing?  Do you hear it as good news?  Or bad ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/the-road-to-dreams-is-paved-in-laundry/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/the-road-to-dreams-is-paved-in-laundry/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:41:41 GMT I don’t know what your task around the house is.  Mine is the laundry.  Leigh Ann and I share most other jobs.   But I do the laundry and she does the check book and bills.  It’s been this way for some ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/show-up-and-open-up/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/show-up-and-open-up/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:20:07 GMT Recently I was at a party and several folks said to me, “Well, I keep meaning to come, but you know….” In such instances, I find myself showing some sympathy, but also trying to help the individual get over and beyond the ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/there-is-no-substitue-for-a-good-story/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/there-is-no-substitue-for-a-good-story/ Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:28:10 GMT I’ve been reading a book. A book that you will hear more about in the coming days. We’re considering studying it church wide during Lent, every adult SS class with Cell Group options for those who teach children and are otherwise ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/forward-to-what/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/forward-to-what/ Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:19:42 GMT Forward to What? Wow! What a great Sunday was August 16! It was such a powerful thing for me as your pastor to see so many of you come forward and drop your Forward with First contribution into that church, whether that was a check, a pledge ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/getting-ready-for-company/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/getting-ready-for-company/ Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:23:57 GMT Getting Ready for Company From as early on as I can remember, company coming over meant one thing, work. Even my mother, who kept an almost continually immaculate house, would find something additional that needed to be done in preparation for ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/summera-break-from-routine/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/summera-break-from-routine/ Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:26:14 GMT Summer...A Break from Routine Summer means a lot of different things to us—school’s out, vacations, heat and humidity, family reunions, VBS, swimming, camps, mosquitoes, etc. But for most all of us, there is a break in routine, a ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/let-the-goose-fly/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/let-the-goose-fly/ Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:45:12 GMT Let the Goose Fly    Well here we are at the beginning of the summer, a time for some at least, for a change of plans, a change of pace.  We used to describe that as the lazy, hazy days of summer.   And maybe those days ... http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/on-being-born-in-a-tomb-a-metaphor/ http://www.fbcmemphis.org/davids-musings/on-being-born-in-a-tomb-a-metaphor/ Fri, 01 May 2009 19:52:58 GMT On Being Born in a Tomb: A Metaphor   One of my favorite Easter illustrations (that you will no doubt hear again) has to do with the birth of a Jewish baby boy in Poland during the Nazi occupation.  It seems that this Jewish mother, ...