Steeler Football

I just received this from a friend...

Being a Steeler fan means so much more than football. It means being from a corner of the world unlike any other.

It means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that they have survived the Homestead strikes, the Johnstown
flood and most recently the Etna Floods. These people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the necessity of complaint. They live
simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy cars.

Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa, Kennywood, and celebrations. They live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill
and the Hill District and all of the surrounding counties. These people are genuine.

They don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they have The Original Hot Dog joint, Primanti's, Eat n' Park and Iron City
Beer. People from Pittsburgh don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats, but the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose
histories have been built on strength and humility.

People from Pittsburgh don't have the biggest shopping malls or the best nightclubs, but they'll take Friday night high school football and Steeler Sunday over
anything.

Steeler football means so much more than you think. It symbolizes a Diaspora of generations who had the best childhood they could imagine.

They ran free without a care or concern in the valleys of those Allegheny Mountains . Their blue-collar world was easy ... there was
no one to tell them that they lacked material things. There was no one to tell them that they needed more.

As the steel mills closed and the jobs disappeared, some of these people had to leave. While the world benefits because they spread their Pittsburgh values, they long for their
home where things were simpler and more pure.

They teach their kids about Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, and Myron Cope in hopes
of imparting not just the knowledge, but the feeling that they represented.

They are everywhere, those Terrible Towels. They wave, not just for the team, but for the hearts they left behind.

They wave in living rooms in Fort Lauderdale and in the bars of Washington , D.C. They wave all the way to the Seattle Superdome! They wave for the Rooney family, whose values mirror our
own - loyalty, grit, and humility.

They wave for football players like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, whose unselfishness and toughness have allowed sports to be about the game and the team.

Make no mistake that Steeler football is not just about football. I could not be prouder to be from the Pittsburgh area than I am right now!!
Even if you no longer live in the area, you have South Western Pennsylvania in your blood no matter where you go.

And deep down in your heart of hearts, you can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who gathered around
the TV on Football Sundays!

Make no mistake, it’s just as exciting right now! It's not just about rivalries and who is better than the other, it's about family, tradition and roots! It's more than football, but
its football at its finest!

Letters from a Birmingham Jail

From Dr. King...

I received a letter this morning from a white brother in Texas which said, "All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but is it possible that you are in too great of a religious hurry? It has taken Christianity almost 2000 years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." All that is said here grows out of a tragic misconception of time. It is the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time is neutral. It can be used either destructively or constructively. I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation...

I have heard numerous religious leaders of the South call upon their worshipers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is the law, but I have longed to hear white ministers say, follow this decree because integration is morally right and the Negro is your brother. In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sidelines and merely mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard so many ministers say, "Those are social issues which the gospel has nothing to do with," and I have watched so many churches commit themselves to a completely otherworldly religion which made a strange distinction between bodies and souls, the sacred and the secular.

There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period that the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was the thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But they went on with the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven" and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest.

Things are different now. The contemporary church is so often a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. It is so often the arch supporter of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's often vocal sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If the church of today does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authentic ring, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.

God at Work in Honduras Through Charter Oak Church

I was blessed by an email received from Don Rumbaugh this morning and wanted to pass it along. God is at work and this is a great testimony to how he uses his servants worldwide to reach the world for Jesus, making disciples in all the nations.

Our advent tree missions donations this year netted $1750.00 and were split between 8^th Avenue Place, our local Food Pantry and the purchase of Spanish bibles for Don Rumbaugh’s ministry. A few years ago, we also took part in a project with VBS kids which advanced Don’s large scale use of Pilgrim’s Progress books to teach the gospel story. Here is what he had to say when I sent the email regarding the money raised for bibles during advent.

I've gotta say that your timing is remarkable for the printing...that my contact in the capital (who can get bibles for $5) was in my living room one hour and fifteen minutes after your email came in, with an invoice for $450 for the IslamaCards (my next large scale project) and a need to put several hundred dollars down on the Picture Bible to encourage them to begin the printing.

Don

p.s. Your Pilgrim's Progress song and story books are all over the north coast and north mountains. My next project is getting more made (that's not a hint; I'll find a printer here. I just thought you'd like to know that they are teaching young worship leaders in EVERY village.)

p.p.s. Jamaica as a mission force?

May Don’s faith, courage and perseverance inspire you as it does me. His response to God is always “yes”, even in advance of all the details. As you follow God’s lead in 2011, may God give you the same courage!

Don't Put Jesus First This Year

Great post from Steven Furtick...

I have one piece of advice for you as we start out this New Year:

Don’t put Jesus first this year.

Yes, you read that correctly. Before you label me a heretic, let me explain.

I imagine that many of you are going through a similar process as me right now of setting and resetting your priorities. Personally, I love this time of year. I’m a very goal-oriented individual and I’ve found that reprioritizing and recalibrating your life is an indispensable activity if you really want to actualize your potential.

And here’s what it usually looks like. We start by putting Jesus at the top. Then family. Then maybe career. And so on. So our priorities look something like this:

1. Jesus/God
2. Family
3. Career

Looks good. However I’ve found that this isn’t very effective when you get down to the grind of everyday life. For example, what does it even mean to put Jesus before my family? Do I ignore my family to spend more time with Jesus? Or with your career, do you stop working to put Jesus first?

The essential problem with this approach is that it segregates the different priorities of life. You end up removing Jesus from where you spend the majority of your time and putting Him on an island by Himself. The biggest island maybe, but an island nonetheless.

I don’t think this is the way it was ever supposed to work. Colossians 1:15-20 repeatedly tells us that Jesus is first before and over everything. But it also says that all things were created through and for Him. That in Him all things hold together. That the goal of the cross was to reconcile all things to Himself.

So Jesus is first. He is first in order. He is first in importance. But He is so because He is the center of everything.

That’s what He should be in your life. And consequently, the thing that is at the center of your life is the thing that is ultimately first in your life.

This year, instead of worrying about putting Jesus first in your life, what if you concentrated on making Him the center of every area of your life? Not just the top priority in front of every other priority, but the top priority in every priority?

Not Jesus, then my family. But Jesus in my family.
Not Jesus, then my career. But Jesus in my career.

We’d probably be a lot more successful in actually keeping Jesus at the top spot on our list. And we’d be much more likely to do an exponentially greater job at accomplishing our other goals and maintaining our priorities.

God Story #12

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

A little background about my experience with cars and traveling.
When I was 8 years old, I lost my oldest brother in a car accident. He went away to school and I begged my parents not to let him go, cause I knew he wouldn't come back. I just knew. He was killed in a car accident. When I was pregnant with my first child, my second brother was killed in Israel while working with the Army corps. of engineers. So, I'm not a big fan of cars. As a result I'm a very aware driver. Now, on to the God story. On my way to church this past Sunday, I was waiting at the light coming out of Lewis Rd. It's the light down from Mt. View going into Greensburg. There was no one in the turning lane from Greensburg when I pulled up. But a voice in my head told me to watch for the car that would turn in front of me on a red light. Over the years I've learned to listen to that voice. Just as my light turned green, a car pulled up in the turning lane. So, I waited a moment, and sure enough he turned right into my road on my green light and his red light. It didn't appear he even saw me. Some would say luck, some would say coincidence, but I know what I'm calling it. Needless to say I said many thank yous the rest of the ride to church. While singing worship songs, I was really feeling the spirit, and the songs just flowed. God does talk we just don't always hear. I've become very good at listening for Him. He never ceases to amaze me.Thanks for letting me share.

God Story #11

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. The following is a newspaper article written by one of the members of our team to Jamaica in November. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

After witnessing extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor health conditions in the mountains of Jamaica, we focus on how richly blessed our family, friends and community are this Thanksgiving. The most severe situation in our daily lives pale when put alongside the struggle of these brothers and sisters in Christ.

Upon further pondering their plight, we see two things wrong with the last statement. First, it is never fair to compare and, second, these folks do not consider their station in life a struggle. Time and again we saw people working together and thankful for what they have. One such example is engraved forever in Rusty’s memory.

It was a long drive for a short visit with a Jamaican family in the hills near Green Pond. Friend Chuck had introduced Rusty to John B. a few years ago and this time they took along Pastor Chris. He is nicknamed “Burn John” because as a young boy he had fallen into a fire. Thirty years later the result of the accident is still shocking. His face is severely disfigured causing him to be legally blind.

On the day of their visit, John was cutting wood to make charcoal that he sells. Hearing Rusty and Chuck’s voices, he extended his calloused hands and offered greetings of “blessings and joy: peace and love!” Other members of his clan returning from tending the yams, coffee and bananas were happy and welcoming. Nephew David, who has slurred speech, proudly showed the men the two-room house built of scraps of wood, some rusty tin and torn tarps.

Inside, with little room to turn around, they saw his “mushed” bike with broken rim and torn tire that he uses to ride 10 miles over rough trails and roads to work. In another, smaller, shack the three Americans were directed to John’s mother, Louise. Laying on a cot, too weak and poor to seek hospital care, she was wrapped in a blanket wearing a fancy brown hat. Withered to a frail 70 pounds, she was kept clean and comfortable by her family’s love.

The visitors knelt by the matriarch. Chris held her hand and stroked her thin arm. He prayed with the family and as he finished speaking to God, Louise’s eyes gently opened and her toothless mouth moved ever so slightly.

As they stepped outside of the shack, Chuck asked the family when they last had a meal with meat. John replied that he couldn’t remember the last time. His statement, matter of fact and showing no embarrassment, never hinted for help. There was no sorrow, regret or grief. This family was thankful and grateful for what they had.

Rusty witnessed a family relationship on the horizontal level where food, chores and caring were shared. On a horizontal level, they praised their heavenly Father for “monumental” blessings. Thank you, Jamaican friends, we rejoice with gratitude for the lesson of contentment.

Rusty and Claire Orner with their two sons, Walker and Ashton, are stewards of the non-profit educational organization, Quiet Creek Herb Farm and School of Country Living in Brookville Pennsylvania. They can be contacted at www.quietcreekherbfarm.org Quiet Creek 2010.

God Story #10

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

Earlier this month I made plans to have lunch with a friend, and check in on him.
Yesterday, while on vacation, I went to his house with lunch.
We had my wife's world class wedding soup with Ritz crackers.
It was excellent. So was my time spent with my friend.
We talked and told stories. I prayed and I poured into him. Encouraged him.
We spent a good 2 and a half hours together. It was good for both of us.
I prayed with him for his recovery and return to good health.
I prayed with him for their marriage and parenting of their son.
While it was a simple act, God was there. It was His plan not mine.
There are many blessings each day, and this was one of mine yesterday.
I’m so thankful for what God is doing in my life, and for what He is doing at Charter Oak Church.
More prayers and blessings and love!

The Highest Level of Living

Here is a blog from Steven Furtick that really spoke to me today:

There are few things more important to God than gratitude. It’s the highest level of living because it’s where you realize everything you have is by the grace of God. It’s the eternal state of Heaven, and it’s something we can experience here and now.

Here are the five observations on gratitude:
1. Gratitude is never invisible or silent. There is no such thing as silent gratitude. If you’re really grateful for something, you’ll say it and show it. Unexpressed gratitude is a lost opportunity to give God praise.

2. Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. In the same way that you can relive an offense through bitterness, you can relive a blessing of God through gratitude. It is possible to relive the joy of yesterday’s gifts with today’s thankfulness.

3. Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. To keep a high sense of gratitude, you must keep a low sense of entitlement. You can’t be grateful for something you feel entitled to. And the truth is, you’re not entitled to anything.

You woke up this morning. Someone else didn’t. They thought they would, but they didn’t. You received a standard Christmas bonus. Someone else is still looking for a job.
If that wasn’t enough, for the Christian, anything short of hell is God’s miraculous, overwhelming, and sufficient grace. We’re not entitled to salvation. It’s a gracious gift that demands a grateful response.

4. Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing, or create a blessing in almost any situation. The opposite of this point is that negative people can find a burden, enlarge a burden, or create a burden in almost any situation. It might sound crass, but some people are crap factories. It doesn’t matter what you put in them, it just comes out crap. They’ll always find a reason to complain. They’ll always find the worst in every situation.

But then for other people, they find crap, put a seed in it, and let it grow. Who do you think possesses more joy?

Your situation doesn’t need to improve for your gratitude to increase. Gratitude sees the best and the potential in every situation.

5. Gratitude increases favor and creates opportunity. Gratitude will make you magnetic for miracles. Joseph preserved his gratitude even after unjustly spending over a decade in slavery and prison. And God used him to save a nation and preserve His people.

If you want the favor of God to flow through your life, keep a grateful heart.

God Story #9

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

When Kiersten was home at Thanksgiving she was required to work at Redstone to maintain her employment status so she has a job next summer. She chose to work the day before Thanksgiving and was assigned the Alzheimer unit instead of the dining hall. When she got home that night, she said that the Spirit touched her and she realized how much she missed the residents. On Thanksgiving Day she spent time calling her regulars that she didn’t get to see in the dining room just to talk with them.

God Story #8

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

This past weekend (December 3-5), the sr. high went on a retreat. During the retreat God was at work in the relationships of the students. First, God was working on the student to student relationships. There were several students who went on the retreat who are not regular attenders to the sr. high ministry. So needless to say, Friday night was a little uncomfortable but by Saturday afternoon, all the students were getting along laughing, playing, chatting, and worshipping together. The second relationship God was a work was the leader/student relationship. Since there was a small number of students the leaders were able to build closer relationships with the students during activities and Bible studies. Third and finally, God was at work in the relationship between the student and God Himself. Throughout the weekend we heard a powerful speaker share with us how our relationship with God was "not right". But through Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross we have the opportunity to become righteous and be in "right relationship" with God. Through these sermons/talks several of the students re-committed their lives to the Lord! They realized their priorities were not on him and that they needed to take a step back and ask themselves, "Do I filter all the things in my life (academics, athletics, friends, social media, work, clubs, etc.) through my relationship with Jesus?"

God Story #7

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

About a week before the Jr. High retreat I received notification from the organization that we were working with that the number of leaders going on our retreat was not going to be enough for their purposes. Well a week before a retreat is not a huge amount of time to try and find someone willing to jump into Jr. High Student Ministry (at least for retreat purposes!) but thanks to Tom Beagan and Bill Gates for announcing our need during the weekend worship services we received several offers of help so that I had to prayerfully make choices about which offers to accept! I thank God for moving in the hearts of several women of our church who offered to help on such short notice but especially for Kristen McKeag and Carla Zema who ended up going with us. Their assistance, along with the other adult leaders who were already along for the ride, helped make the trip a good one for our Jr. High students.

God Story #6

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

Last year, God had me step away from helping with Mission Possible.

This year, God’s prompting led me to throw my hat back in the ring to help with Mission Possible. “Wherever you need me,” that’s what I told Maxine. Each week, Maxine puts me exactly where I’m needed, as a helper, a runner, a first aid person…

But my favorite joy is serving as a table parent at dinner. I have had the privilege of getting to know four second grade girls: Annie, Gracie, Addison, and Zoey. They keep me up to date on their favorite ice cream flavor, their favorite movie, their favorite sport, and their favorite colors. We get to share birthdays on birthday night, we pray together, we use our table manners, and we talk about lessons that Jesus teaches us. One particular week, the lesson was on compassion. At dinner Zoey wasn’t feeling well so she went to the rest room. When she didn’t come back, Addison asked if she could check on her. When neither girl came back, I went to check on them both. What I found was Addison gently wrapping her jacket over Zoey’s shoulders, because Zoey was cold and shivering. Compassion- being the gentle hand of Jesus.

I serve because I love God. God loves me so much that He blesses me with those moments where I see Him at work. Our children are the future. They won’t know Jesus or the promises of God unless we teach them, unless we share with them what God has done for us, and then they too can pass it on to their children.

God Story #5

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

I was having lunch at Wendy’s last week with my daughter and 2 of my grandchildren. As usual, we prayed before we ate. A young woman sitting at the table next to us said, ”Excuse me, but did you all just pray before you ate?” I said yes that we think it is important and it is just something that we do. She said the she was just saved in Christ last year but was already feeling like she was losing some of that ‘feeling’ and had asked God that morning to refresh her spirit. She felt that observing us pray and make God a natural part of our lives was a confirmation from Him. We all were enjoying the sacred carols that were playing and that was another confirmation for her. She asked where we go to church and said that she just might come and try our church sometime because she was driving quite a distance to the church that she had been attending. I told her that we would welcome her and look forward to seeing her again.

Merry Christmas…a refreshed spirit by the work of the Holy Spirit!

God Story #4

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

I saw God at work in Brenda when she lovingly and graciously cared for a person who called and had to back out of an obligation for which she had signed up. The person was so embarrassed and ashamed because of the reason she couldn’t fulfill the obligation and Brenda made her feel loved and valued. Brenda reminded this person by her actions that this person wasn’t valuable because of what she did, but because of who she is in Christ.

God Story #3

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

Last Monday, April, who takes her son to accessAbilities, stopped in the church office inquiring about what items she could purchase and donate to the Food Pantry. She said she doesn’t go to church because she’s “not a good person, not good enough.” I wanted to cry. I told her we’re all sinners and all have issues. I told her God made us just the way we are for a reason and He loves us no matter what. She asked about our worship services and nursery and what else we offer. Naomi showed her around the church and we think she may come back to worship. My heart breaks for someone who asks about donating to the Food Pantry and in the same breath feels she isn’t “good enough” to attend church.

I think (I hope) Naomi and I made a difference in her life that day. I’m going to try to track her down this Monday if she shows up for accessAbilities, because she has been on my heart and in my thoughts all week.

God Story #2

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

Visiting at a local nursing home recently, I walked into the room of a senior member of our congregation, who has not been active here for many years. Walking into the room of someone dealing with memory issues, you never know how you may be received. This morning, I saw Ruth lying peacefully on her bed covered in a beautiful velvet blanket. Not wanting to disturb her, I introduced myself again to her roommate, a younger lady who had been moved here away from her home and surroundings to live close to her daughter, in order to better care for her.

As we spoke, she began to cry and was obviously mourning the loss of her former life. As it was close to lunchtime, Fay mentioned we should wake Ruth. Fay began to share with me, as we woke Ruth, how she cares for her, dresses her when no one can come down, helps her find things and keeps her company. I could clearly see how she simply devoted herself to caring for her roommate, loves her with gentleness, patience, and self-sacrifice. In the simple acts of caring for her, I saw God at work in this woman’s life, building purpose and meaning into her days, and healing her own loss in the process.

God Story #1

As Christmas quickly approaches I want to share some "God stories" with you that have been shared with me lately.

The following is the email I read in worship this weekend. I have taken the names out to honor the family's anonymity. If you want to share a God story that I can share with our church family please email me at cwhitehead@charteroakumc.org.

Hi Pastor Chris,
I had to write and tell you about the "Santa Claus" moment we had last night because it ironically happened when we took our son to see Santa at the mall.

The line to see Santa was long so it took about 30 minutes to reach the front. At one point while I was trying to keep our son entertained, my husband was talking with the young woman behind us who had a son who just turned one in November. As we neared the front of the line, there is a sign that lists all of the photo packages you can purchase. I started complaining to my husband that the cheapest package was $20 (because apparently you can't just buy one picture of your kid with Santa for $5 anymore). He turns to me and whispers, "The girl behind us is here alone with her son because her husband is in Afghanistan." And at the same time that the Holy Spirit spoke the words into my head, they came out of my husband's mouth - "Let's buy her a photo package...the biggest one they have." While my husband tried to convince our son to sit on Santa's lap (which he would have nothing to do with), I talked to the photographer and cashier and purchased the package and we left before the woman could find out what we did.

I would normally have left there disappointed that I didn't get a picture of our son with Santa, but instead I left in tears so overjoyed that we could help make sure that little boy's Daddy had lots of pictures of a moment he had to miss because he was out fighting for our freedom. I know in the grand scheme of things it wasn't that big of a deal...I'm sure the woman was going to buy pictures anyway, but I also know that God had a purpose in it and hopefully she recognized our gratitude and appreciation for what she and her family are sacrificing for the rest of us.

My Son

This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.

- Matthew 3:17

Christ in Me

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

- Galatians 2:20

Prayer

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

- James 5:16