Randalls' Reflections

Photo of the Week – Giant’s Causeway

dccc2006 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:50:47 +0000

Ireland and Northern Ireland make taking good photos relatively easy – you just need to show up.
We traveled with some friends up to the north coast to Giant’s Causeway, and we took this photo as we walked towards the Causeway.
B-e-a-utiful !!!

Photo of the Week: Classic Caleb Captured

dccc2006 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:31:22 +0000

Caleb got super excited when we said the word “Beach” in the car last week. So, when we got home I took him across the street to run around on the sand and to watch the sunset.
The expression on his face in this photo captures almost everything about our 18-month-old bundle of joy.
We hope you enjoy it!

Photo of the Week – the Falls in Greenville, SC

dccc2006 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:00:14 +0000

I had a busy travel schedule this past week. I am thankful for the hospitality of the Jeters & the Winthrop Wesley crew, Ed & Stephanie, Chip at Wesley, Mark & Kathleen at AU, Ted & Mary and Hoyt and Bill in Rochester!
Ed took us to the falls that run through the middle of Greenville, SC, and that is the photo of the week.

Joy in Worship

dccc2006 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:55:23 +0000

I am humbled to receive invitations to preach in various congregations, and I am privileged to worship with various congregations throughout the year. Today I had the amazing opportunity to worship with Faith UMC in Rochester, NY. Today, joy marked worship. As I am on this flight from Rochester I feel as though I am still glowing from the time with Ted & Mary, the Genessee Valley District, Hoyt, and Faith UMC. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.

Photo of the Week – Beans for a Family

dccc2006 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:11:34 +0000

I took this photo 10 years ago when I worked in Afghanistan. It hangs in my office. The sack of beans on the man’s back weighs 110 pounds – about three months worth beans for his family.

Grace Big Enough for Giants’ Fans … Really?

dccc2006 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:52:45 +0000

As I walked through the streets of Boston on this beautiful sunny day I witnessed a guy engaging in street evangelism. He perched his white board with colored diagrams and arrows on a trash can, and he talked to people passing by about God’s love and salvation. For the few who actually stopped to listen he asked, “Do you want to know how much Grace God has? God’s grace is big enough even for Giants’ fans.” I heard this and thought, “Really?”

I saw people walk away. Some with cynical smiles and some with shoulders slump as the wind went out of them. Maybe they thought they were about to hear something good, something real, something different than the normal sandwich-board-wearing-crazy-street-prophet. In an attempt to talk about God’s love and make it relevant this guy trivialized it. I hope he was joking, yet his eyes shined with triumph as he thought he had a connection point with his audience. The last thing people need is another imitation of grace – a cheap buy from a street vendor.

Real grace heals real pain, brings real reconciliation, and covers a multitude of sins. (and cheering for a different sport team is not a sin!)

I guess I’m frustrated because I believe that God’s love is a tangible reality that truly can make a difference in people’s lives and in this world, and when people use trivial examples in an attempt to make that truth relevant they saturate an already flooded market of religious delusion.

It reminds me of an old commercial from Folger’s Crystals.

A hidden camera pans a fancy restaurant dining room while a hushed voiced says, “We’ve secretly replaced this restaurant’s normal gourmet coffee with Folger’s Crystals to see if anyone will notice.” Then they conduct personal interviews with people and many of them show surprise. If 9 out of 10 people can’t tell the difference between Folger’s and gourmet coffee, then it doesn’t mean that Folger’s is gourmet. Rather, it means that 9 out of 10 people don’t know what makes great coffee.

God’s grace does not need to be dumbed-down or secretly replaced with relevant, cheapend examples for people to experience the truth of God’s love.
Is God’s grace big enough for Giants’ fans? Yes! Yet the grace is for them as people and not because they are Giants’ fans. God’s grace is big enough for people who have good intentions, yet give cheap imitations. And thankfully, God’s grace is big enough for people who rant and rave about poor evangelism…

Photo of the Week – The Snow Finally Arrived

dccc2006 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:28:22 +0000

After four months of October, it finally feels like January in Maine. After a snowy and windy night, we woke to this on Friday morning.

Photo of the Week – New Life, Hope, Joy, and Peace

dccc2006 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:48:31 +0000

Last Wednesday, a little after 4am, our neighbors had a sweet baby girl. We had the opportunity to hold her when she was less than 10 hours old – awesome! Holding this baby made me think of joy at new life, hope for her as she begins her journey in this world, and peace – what a peaceful baby to hold and sing to… Alleluia!

“Where Did Baby Jesus Go?”

dccc2006 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:44:55 +0000

This morning we drove a familiar route with the kids. For the past six weeks a house on this route has had both the Nativity and Santa with his reindeer displayed in the front yard. EVERY time we drove by Ceara would say, “Baby Jesus. Santa. Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas.”

The owner took it down this week, and this morning as we drove by Ceara asked, “Where did baby Jesus go? Where is Santa?” The first response that came to mind gave me pause and stuck with me as I drove through the snow. “The people put him away until next Christmas,” were the words that came to mind. Yes, the Nativity and Santa scenes go away until next Christmas. Yet I began to think about ways we might be tempted to put Jesus away for the next 10 months until the good cheer, smiles, and nice-not-naughty time comes around again.

I don’t have any further thoughts at this time, but I just wanted to share something Ceara made me think about this morning.

Photo of the Week – Mt. Hood

dccc2006 — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:50:47 +0000

This is the view we had as our plane took off last week after spending some time with Courtneys family. If only the plane window wasnt so dirty it would have been an even clearer picture.
We sat in awe of the beauty.
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