Corn....Corn, Corn, CORN! Nothing but Corn!

Today at Target, among the many other things I did to earn my daily wages, I stacked about 400 of these cans into cardboard containers (called WACO's in Target Backroom lingo)........one can at a time :)

That was only half of the large tub filled with another 500 of these cans, in addition to the 720 cans of corn stacked on a large pallet.

"Why does Target have so many cans of canned corn?"  You ask...that is a question which is as unanswerable as the equally unanswerable question "Why did the chicken cross the road?"  :D

One thing is certain.  I definitely know where I'm shopping when I have to buy large quantities of canned goods in preparation for a natural disaster :)

 

                    

 

 P.S.  In case you didn't catch it, the title for this blog post came from the film "Secondhand Lions"  :D

Covenant Family Church Young Men's Choir!

On Sunday, November 18th, the newly formed Covenant Family Church Young Men's Choir performed in the Celebrating the Pilgrims event.  We sung Psalm 134 in three rounds and really enjoyed blessing those in attendance!  Many people came up to us afterwards and said they regretted that we only prepared one song :)

From Right to Left: Back Row: Stephen Littman Jr., Austin McCardie, Peter Saffa, Ben Serven, Samuel Saffa, Phillip McCardie.  Front Row: Luke Hamman, Andrew Serven, Joel Stanton, Josh Brabo, Curtis McCardie, Cody Winton.

After our successful performance, several of the guys decided to ambush Joel and carry him around in triumph :)

Trying to keep my balance!  I thought they were trying to pitch me over backwards...

The view is great from up here :)

Lord willing, the Young Men's Choir will have more songs prepared for the Christmas season, and we are looking forward to the different opportunities we will have in the year 2013 to lift our voices in praise to our great and glorious God!

A Christian's Thoughts about Black Friday

In 4 days, stores all over America will open very early as American consumers will come pouring in to spend their money on all sorts of toys, electronics, clothes, furniture, Christmas decorations, books, magazines, music, movies, and games. 

This is the first time I have ever worked for a retail store (Target) right before and (eventually) during Black Friday.  The whole thing is starting to disgust me.  For the past week, I have been unpacking, handling, stocking, shelving, and processing cheap, mass-produced plastic from China, books, movies and CD's that would embarrass almost anyone with an ounce of biblical morality, Christmas decorations which will probably be thrown in the garbage on January 1st, 2013 or get stuffed back into a box and put in a dark corner of an attic for the next 11 months, and a menagerie of other things which usually leave me thinking, "Will someone in their right mind actually buy this?!?!?" 

To top it all off, as I work at Target, I get a glimpse into the daily lives of the people who come to shop and sadly, I see more and more the effects of the breakdown of Christian culture, the loss of a biblical worldview, and the fragmenting of relationships.  I see moms getting very angry and sharp with their unruly children.  I observe teenagers with their iPods and iPhones, just checked out from reality and wishing they were anywhere but here with their parents.  Dads on cell phones rush past me, hoping that an action figure from a movie will make up for all the time they neglect to spend with their sons.  Little kids whine and cry when they don't get what they want and stressed out parents and grandparents pace up and down the store aisles, running their eyes over a wide variety of toys, games, and clothing.

With all of these thoughts and emotions running through my mind over the past couple of days, I came across a passage of Scripture which speaks with blazing conviction about the materialism and selfishness that is promoted on Black Friday, all in the name of "holiday spirit and celebration".

"Then He [Christ] said to them, 'Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.' And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
-Luke 12:15-21

I hope I don't come across as saying that shopping for Christmas, managing your money prudently by taking advantage of sales, or owning goods and possessions is wrong.  I'll be the first to decry that position. God gives us possessions on this earth for us to enjoy and, more importantly, to use to bring Him glory and advance His Kingdom.  But I hope that all of us, myself included, will obey Christ's command in Luke 12:15, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."  We know that the unbeliever seeks eagerly after worldly belongings (Matt. 6:32) to the hurt of his own soul.  So, in conclusion, I hope that my experience at Target during this Black Friday will motivate me to be praying for the victory of the Gospel over the lives of the Americans who are trapped, oftentimes unknowingly, in the bog of materialism.  And I hope that all of you, my readers, will join me in searching our own hearts about any materialism that is lurking within us, and in having a desire to witness to those around us, telling them that this life does not consist of owning the biggest HD TV, the newest gaming system, the most fashionable clothes, the snazziest house decorations, or the latest bestseller from the New York Times. 

We exist to glorify God, enjoy Him forever, and to love our neighbors.  We are to buy and use our belongings to serve God and to bless our brothers and sisters.  That is what the Christian should be doing on Black Friday and that is what I hope to learn and practice both this year and the years to come. 

For Christ's Crown, Church, and Covenant...
Joel Stanton

 As Thanksgiving draws near, it is always important to remember the reason why we celebrate it. It is a day to give thanks and glory to God for all of his bountiful blessings. I found this poem and thought it would serve as a good reminder of the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers

The breaking waves dash'd high
On a stern and rock-bound coast,
And the woods against a stormy sky
Their giant branches toss'd;

And the heavy night hung dark,
The hills and waters o'er,
When a band of exiles moor'd their bark
On the wild New England shore.

Not as the conqueror comes,
They, the true-hearted, came;
Not with the roll of the stirring drums,
And the trumpet that sings of fame;

Not as the flying come,
In silence and in fear;-
They shook the depths of the desert gloom
With their hymns of lofty cheer.

Amidst the storm they sang,
And the stars heard and the sea:
And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang
To the anthem of the free!

The ocean eagle soar'd
From his nest by the white wave's foam
And the rocking pines of the forest roar'd-
This was their welcome home!

There were men with hoary hair
Amidst that pilgrim band:-
Why had they come to wither there,
Away from their childhood's land?

There was woman's fearless eye,
Lit by her deep love's truth;
There was manhood's brow serenely high,
And the fiery heart of youth.

What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine?
The wealth of seas, the spoils of war?
They sought a faith's pure shrine!

Ay, call it holy ground,
The soil where first they trode.
They have left unstained, what there they found
Freedom to worship God.

~Felicia Dorothea Hemans
1826 

Visiting with the Morecrafts!

Hey everyone!

   One of the highlights for the month of October was going to the East Coast for a week as the Servens and the pastoral interns attended the White Unto Harvest conference out in North Carolina.  We had a wonderful time meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, and listening to some stirring and thought-provoking messages from men like Doug Phillips, Paul Washer, Conrad Mbewe, and Pastor Scott Brown.

After the conference ended, we all headed down for a quick visit to the Morecrafts down in Georgia.  Although I had seen Pastor Morecraft many times before, I had never had the privilege of sitting in his living room. Pastor Morecraft very graciously showed us around his church, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church.  He also took the time to answer all the various questions we had for him about all kinds of topics.

Here are some of the pictures I took while we stayed with them.  Enjoy!

The aisle in the sanctuary looking towards the pulpit from the back

The media room where all the CD's and audio files are stored.

The Deathmask of Oliver Cromwell

The image of the Lord Protector right after his death.

Pastor Joe Morecraft III at his desk.

The pulpit of Chalcedon Presbyterian Church

Mrs. Morecraft and Cody Winton

Pastor Morecraft saying farewell

It was an incredible opportunity to be with the Morecrafts for two days!  Considering the influence and teaching which Pastor Morecraft has both indirectly and directly given me over the past 8 years, I was very grateful for the chance to thank him personally for his ministry.

Now I am back in Missouri, trying to remember all the things he told me :)  Fortunately I had my notebook with me and I can look back on the notes I took.