In July, an orthopedic surgeon performed arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in my knee. The doctor determined the cartridge tear reflected cumulative damage for someone in my “age range.”

I’ve never been someone in my “age range” before.

After the procedure, the surgeon told me to peddle a stationary bike the next day. So my wife drove me to the Carl Sanders YMCA where I slowly limped to the back of the gym. I carefully crawled on the bike and rode for 15 minutes in the lowest gear.

Rehab hurts.

After the agonizing workout, I eased off the bike and slowly straightened my leg. I may have whimpered quietly but in a manly sort of way. Meanwhile, a man who had spent an hour riding an adjacent bike also completed his workout.

I self-consciously gestured to my bandaged leg and said, “I’m just starting rehab after surgery.”

He responded, “But you’re HERE and that’s something.”

Yeah.

Rehab hurts.

But I’m HERE and that’s something.

Wednesday night suppers have been a church staple for decades in the American church. They provide a weekly opportunity for food, fellowship, music, and discipleship.

Modern culture challenges the time-honored institution, however. Midweek services compete with busy schedules, sports’ schedules, school activities, class homework, and gridlocked traffic. In the face of societal pressures, many churches have cancelled Wednesday night suppers.

However, two years ago Northside Church made a renewed commitment to our midweek activities. In addition to a delicious meal, the church provides rich opportunities for children, youth, and adults. We have celebrated growth in both numbers and Spirit.

In the Gospels, Jesus did some of his best work around the dinner table with friends and followers. Some of Christ’s most memorable words and deeds occurred with food and drink.

I invite you to join the counter-cultural revolution at Northside Church. Join us for Wednesday night supper and enjoy food not only for the body but also for the soul.

It’s a good thing.

I find it curious that we take a day to play

On a holiday that is entitled Labor Day.

That is all,

Y’all.

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

There is so much good in the worst of us,

And so much bad in the best of us,

That it hardly behooves any of us

To talk about the rest of us.

Attributed to various authors.

Our back-to-school worship series at Northside Church is entitled Story Teller. During August and September, we are exploring eight parables told by Jesus in Luke’s Gospel.

Parable comes from the Greek word parabole which means to cast alongside or to place beside. Parables are stories that include comparisons, contrasts, exaggerations, illustrations, analogies, similes, and metaphors.

One classic definition declares: A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus’ parables give human insight into God’s kingdom.These ordinary stories reveal extraordinary truths.

The Gospel parables are also insidious. They seem plain enough. After listening Jesus’ words, the listener concludes: “Oh, well, the moral of the story is                        .”

Yet it’s not that simple. Parables are multilayered and multidimensional. There are always new depths to plumb. They cast fishhooks into our minds, tugging at our thoughts and catching our imaginations. We wake up in the middle of the night, exclaiming: “OH, THAT’S what Jesus meant!”

However, there is a richness to Christ’s parables that cannot be plumbed. We read the same story years later and discover new and unexpected truths.

Parables are also dangerous. They slip past our defenses and through the backdoor of our minds, inviting us to change and challenging us to act.

So we’re invited on Sundays to sit at the feet of the Master Storyteller and ask: “Jesus, will you tell us a story?”

During my childhood, Memorial Day signaled the unofficial start of summer. I never thought much about the holiday’s deeper meaning. For a boy, enjoying a day off from school seemed significant enough.

In the aftermath of the Civil War, Major General John A. Logan issued General Order 11. It designated May 30 as Decoration Day—a time of remembrance for fallen soldiers. Arlington Cemetery hosted the first major observance in 1868. The annual event quickly grew into a national holiday.

Today our nation observes Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. The holiday honors military personnel who have died during wartime. Parades, speeches, flags, and cemetery floral arrangements mark the occasion.

We remember the men and women who have given their lives in the service of their country. We also honor remember armed forces’ personnel who presently serve at home or abroad. Our liberties come at a high cost, and we recognize those who lay aside self-interest for their country’s sake.

We remember military families who also make their own sacrifices. Each member of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, Reserves, and National Guard leaves behind a family at home. Our service personnel wear a uniform; however, parents, siblings, spouses, children, and friends support them on the home front.

This weekend fly the flag. Take your hat off when the National Anthem plays. Speak the words of the Pledge of Allegiance in a strong voice. Express your appreciation to a veteran. Visit a cemetery. Place a flower arrangement. Say a prayer.

Remember, and give thanks.

This spring a group from Northside Church visited the Holy Land. I faced the pre-trip challenge of packing 15 days worth of clothes into a suitcase and carry-on. Let’s just say all of us regularly repeated our outfits on the trip.

Experts say to pack a suitcase and then remove half of the contents. I didn’t quite honor this maxim. However, the knowledge that I would be the one lugging the luggage certainly provided an incentive.

George Carlin performed a routine about “Stuff.” The comedian observed: “A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it.” We can become consumed with taking care of too much stuff.

Packing for a trip forces a traveler to prioritize and choose stuff—not everything can be taken. And it turns out that many necessities are actually luxuries.

Jesus told a story entitled The Parable of the Rich Fool. The punch line asks: “What does it profit someone to win the whole world and lose his or her soul?”

Our stuff can weigh us down rather than free us up. Pack light in order to enjoy both the journey and the destination.

A TV commercial about some new prescription drug recently caught my attention. I don’t recall what ailment it purportedly treated. A tag line on the screen advised: “Increased fluid intake can decrease the risk of dehydration.”

Things that make you go “Huh.”

Who knew that hydration could combat dehydration?

Just seems to be common sense. However, it’s been noted that common sense isn’t all that common. Some days any kind of sense seems to be in rare supply, indeed.

So here’s a list of things that make you go “Oh.”

• Lost?               Read the Bible.
• Anxious?         Pray without ceasing.
• Lonely?           Attend church.
• Blessed?          Give thanks.
• Satiated?         Fast.
• Gifted?            Serve.
• Saved?            Testify.

And if you’re thirsty, drink some water.

April showers bring May flowers . . . and POLLEN—and it starts back in March.

Politicians divide the nation into Red and Blue. However, spring unites us as Yellow States!

Over the past weeks, flaxen goo has covered cars, coated lawns, clogged throats, and congested noses. The golden gunk sticks like glue. After a shower, the streets appear to be paved in heavenly gold.

All agree that Georgia is beautiful during the spring. Trees bud, flowers blooms, and grasses grow. Azaleas, dogwoods, daffodils, and day lilies serve as harbingers of summer’s advent.

But the beauty can also be a beast.

The vast palette of buds and blooms produces a noxious cloud of allergens. A reading of over 120 is considered “Extremely High” on the pollen count. Many spring days feature four digit measurements.

Sooner or later, the pollen affects everyone with itchy eyes, sniffly noses, sore throats, and sinus headaches. Patients jam doctors’ offices, and social gatherings sound like tuberculosis’ wards. People pop antihistamines like Tic-Tacs and gargle Chloroseptic like water.

We all learn about the birds, bees, flowers, and trees. The Creator designed this intriguing, intricate process to insure the reproduction of flora.

I would never dare question the Master Gardener’s plan; however, there are spring days when I have enjoyed about as much as I can stand.

Anyone who lives in Georgia, however, better get used to the pollen. In the long run, allergies are a small price to pay for azaleas, daffodils, dogwoods, oaks, red tips, boxwoods, and day lilies.

In Matthew 6, Jesus told his followers not to worry. Then he pointed to the natural beauty all around them and said, “See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” If God cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, then surely the Creator will also care for us.

So breathe deep and give God thanks for the beauty of this earth—pollen, allergies, and all.