THERE ARE LOTS PEOPLE WITH THE LAST NAME OF KAY in the world, though a lot less than Smith. I have always thought it would be grand to have a real ‘verifiable’ family tree. Our records go back only three generations and even then things are pretty sketchy. Makes me wonder sometimes what my great-grandfather was into since he has two different birth certificates. Oh well, I suppose I may never know the ‘hid-den’ roots to my family tree.
Part of what makes the research difficult is that our name Kay was changed when my grandfather came over from the ‘old’ country, and there again his ‘old’ country is no longer around and those two birth cer-tificates list different place names. Ah, the plot thickens.
The good news is I do possess another family name whose roots are traceable and whose heritage is sure. I know that this other family to which I belong has been made up of some pretty seedy characters, as well as a few that some may catorigize as saints. That family name is Christian.
The name Christian is one I gladly accepted as my own many years ago. I have been trying to “grow into it” throughout all these years. I know that there are times when I have not borne that name well, and others in which I have flown the family banner high with honor. The good news is that this is a family name that cannot be changed, and I rest se-cure in being well-loved by the Father. And, unlike my earthly family name, this is one that will last.
Whose name do you bear? And how, my friend, do you bear it? Shall we live up to the Name? It is our heritage, and our future, to do so.

ON MY DESK SITS A MUG GIVEN TO ME BY JORDAN. Emblazoned upon it is the picture of Mr. Incredible, from Disney/Pixar movie, The In-credibles! It was a great gesture of faith and belief from a son to a dad, that he puts me in the same realm as these super heroes. Then again, he knows they’re only cartoon characters, so maybe my son’s faith is not so misplaced after all.
The truth be known, I don’t often feel like Mr. Incredible, but more like Mr. Inflatable. That’s my made-up character who finds himself made strong by the encouraging words of the people around, only to be quickly deflated by the unkind verbal jab. The sad thing is that it takes so much to “pump me up,” and so little to pull out my plug. The sideways glance, the whisper behind my back, the small innuendo and the air begins to rush out and I am left as a limp pile upon the floor. Ah, such is the life of real everyday super heroes.
Now, lest you think that Pastor Randy is just in some blue funk, let me quickly set the record straight. The reason for this self-disclosure is truly two-fold. First, I know that I am not the only Mr. or Ms. Inflatable in town. I would dare say, that there are many who sport my costume.
Second, my real reason for writing these truths is to remind all of us how important an uplifting word can be. It is by our very words that a su-per hero can be raised to the heights or dashed upon the rocks of de-spair.
It is to this end that the Word of God speaks, “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18)
So shall we live!

WHEN ALL IS LOST, LITTLE THINGS MATTER. When it seems that the obstacles before us are so huge so as to leave us feeling helpless, little things matter. When we feel removed, hands tied, resources limited, little things matter. When we feel that there is nothing in our power that we can do; little things matter.
This past week I have been personally moved by the little things peo-ple have done to help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina. I have seen kids selling lemonade and witnessed young people washing cars in order to raise funds to help out the victims. I have seen people drop loose change into jars and seen people place hard earned dollars in of-fering plates (Thank you to those who so selflessly gave last in last Sun-day’s benevolence offering.) And yet, most touching to me, I have seen people shed deep-felt tears and offer humble prayers for God’s grace and mercy to be shed upon our land. The little things; the tears, and the prayers offered in silence for people unknown speak so loudly of the depth of our desire to help those so hurt by this tragedy.
Little things really, but they accomplish so much, for they change the heart, both here and there. We may feel small and powerless, and yet those tears touch the face of God, and our prayers resonate in His heart, and they release the power and resources of heaven.
Some will be able to respond in big ways. They will go and serve, they will open their homes, they will pour forth from the bounty of the re-source with which God has blessed them, but we can all do the little things. We can all be broken for others. We can all pray. We can all give these GREAT little things.
So let us give!

I GOT UP AND LEFT AND WENT TO BED, I could not take watching anymore of the pictures of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I could not bear to listen to anymore of the stories. I was consumed by my inability to do anything. Add to that the 100’s who lost their lives by being caught in the human stampede in Baghdad and I am overwhelmed!
But, God is not!
Wars! Rumors of wars! Hurricanes! Tornadoes! Disease! Famine! Genocide! Homelessness! Sickness! Poverty! I am overwhelmed!
But, God is not!
Powerlessness. Limited resources. Lack of wisdom and knowledge. Fear. Weakness. I am overwhelmed!
But, God is not!
God is not overwhelmed by the recent and ongoing events of this world, nor is He wringing His hands over what “may take place” in the fu-ture. We hold on to the truth that God is sovereign! He is all-powerful! And He is good! And thus, it is in Him we place our hope. Thus, it is be-fore Him that we fall on our knees and cry out, “Lord, have mercy! Lord, please save!” And our prayers do not overwhelm God. He does not place them in His “in basket” as some thing to be dealt with when He gets the time. Our God can handle our cries for help, our questions, and yes, even our doubts. He is not overwhelmed!
And so we say, “Amen,” and we rise from our knees and we seek to obey the Lord’s command, “to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Let us so love, and not be overwhelmed!

SOMETIMES IT JUST BEARS REPEATING the story of God¹s relentless love for me.
If you¹ve heard this one, then go ahead and turn inside and read the
announcements, otherwise, read on.
God started His pouring His love upon me from the moment I was born.
I was blessed to be born into a family were Jesus Christ was believed in and
where regular church attendance and service were a constant part of our
daily lives. I was blessed by a praying mother and a church-involved dad.
I have never known not going to Sunday school, VBS, singing in the choir,
you name it.
God continued His presence in my life by placing a desire for full-time
ministry in my heart at about the age of 13. I surely did not know what
being a pastor (Ominister¹ in the terminology of my upbringing), but I did
know I wanted to preach.
God¹s pursuit for me reached a crisis point on Good Friday 1969 when I
personally committed myself to Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior. I say
³crisis² because my faith became my own that night, and in many ways would
begin to look and sound different than my parents¹, but that¹s part of
growing up, I guess.
And God¹s pursuit of me has continued on. I have tried to run from
both Call and Conversion, but both God¹s relentless love and my mom¹s
prayers saw that I never got very far. I understand the Apostle Peter¹s
response to the Lord when questioned if he would leave the Master, “Lord, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know
that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69) and so His story continues
to be written, and for my part, told as well.
Write on Lord, write on.