RMC #38- FUMCR Cross

When I first started going to The Vail Church I never noticed the cross in the church. I remember thinking that one morning as I drove to Avon to join in the Men’s Bible Study being held early each Wednesday.

So as I drove on this cool fall morning in Colorado I was caught by surprise of my memory of the cross that hung in the main church at First United Methodist Richardson (FUMCR).

It was about 3 years ago as FUMCR was just finishing up its new campus. The old cross that had hung in the sanctuary ever since that building was constructed was going to be moved to a place of prominence in the new church. The new church was far bigger than the old one and the scale of the old cross did not lend itself to the size of the new sanctuary. But the cross was being lovingly taken down and carried the few blocks and was being placed in an honorable and beautiful place in the new church.

One night Suzy and I were at the church, probably working on my favorite event the “Cookie Caper”. This was where the members of the church would bake 12 dozen batches of cookies, each, then have a cookie sale. Essentially buying their own cookies back. That year we would sell $7,000 worth of cookies. And since I love cookies this was a true labor of love for me.

Anyway, Joy Anderson, our totally fearless leader said that the workmen had just taken down the cross and would we like to see it up close and bless it before they moved it to the new church. We all said of course we would do so.

So we all bounded in the short distance to the sanctuary where this old rugged wooden cross lay silently on the ground.

I can barely even write this now even 3 years plus later.

The cross was alive.

I could barely move toward it I was struck with so much awe.

How many joys and tears had this wood absorbed in the years it hung so reverently above our heads? How many people were struck by the simplicity of the statement of this cross. How many people remembered the Son who had been placed on pieces of crossed wood not unlike this.

I remember saying a blessing through my tears.

I also remember there was an inscription on the cross, but couldn’t remember what it said. I remember it had been inscribed on the cross as almost a mistake. I couldn’t quite remember the story so I wrote my good friend Ed Murray to see if he remembered the story. He remembered something about it, but emailed Joy since he knew she would know.

Ed sent this back:

“The scripture on the cross is: “Father, forgive them. . . “

Bob Middlebrooks, Senior Minister at the time, was just thinking about what quote to put on the cross and wrote down that, intending for the message to include the entire quote, not just part of it, but whoever was in charge of getting the cross made took his scrap of paper and put that on the cross instead of the whole quote. 

Nothing mysterious or mystical about it.”

Nothing mysterious or mystical about it.

But then I am beginning to believe that everything is mysterious and mystical.

And magical.

I actually didn’t find the cross at The Vail Church the first time I looked that morning. I was after I had received back Ed’s response that I was actually able to see it. The cross at the Vail Church is a simple wooden cross, hung high in the chapel. It is very beautiful.

I wrote the “I was Lost” posting in the RMC on July 23^rd. A lot happened with that post, on two levels, which I will explain as I go.

I attended the church on Sunday, July 22^nd, and sat down the first thing on the morning of the 23^rd and wrote RMC #31: “I was Lost” (http://rockymountainclimbing-a-diary.com/rmc-31-i-was-lost). Later that day I received a number of emails from various welcoming committees from the Vail Church (http://www.thevailchurch.com/). Somewhere in the responses I sent back to these well wishers, I included a link to the posting. Here is what happened then, in the words of the people who sent them.

First:

Durk,

Your blog was so uplifting for our staff…we read it in our weekly staff meeting.  So encouraging to know that He is drawing people to worship Him here.  Thanks so much for sharing your life with us, we look forward to watching the Lord use us and you at our lil’ mountain church.

Scott Leonard

The Vail Church

Then I received a call and an email asking if they could use my writing in the following Sunday sermon. From the pastor at the Vail Church, Craig Smith, came this:

Hey Durk,

Craig Smith here with The Vail Church.  Just wanted to say thanks for allowing me to share your words this coming Sunday.  Scott passed on your blog to me this week and it was so encouraging to read.  Thanks for sharing your story.  Once a year, we do what we call our “State of the church” address.  It’s a time to re-visit the vision God has given us as well as celebrate His good work over the past year.  I’d love to share your words with our church family this weekend – they speak well to our desire – that people would meet with Christ each Sunday and leave changed.  So, with your permission, I’d love to pass along how God met with you and your wife last weekend.  Your words celebrate our God and that’s always worth sharing.  We’re glad you came – this weekend we will outline clearly who we are, where we’re going, and how to dive in and serve alongside us in the work ahead.  There’s much to be done in this valley and around the globe so we’re anxious to stack hands together and get to work.  Your ministry experience is a tremendous blessing – let’s talk soon and figure out the next steps.  Let me know how I can be of any help along the way!  Grateful for you both…

Craig

To say I was blown away was an understatement. I always understood that I was writing with a purpose. That was always clear to me. God had a purpose for me, though clearly, I wasn’t always let in on the plan. But then I also started receiving great comments from my old friends, mentors and much loved people.

From my spiritual mentor Ed Murray, I received this:

Durk, I don’t often reply to all because of a number of reasons. But I was so touched by your diary this week that I had to let everyone know how much it touched me.  I could feel my throat choking up as I read your lead in to the songs and for the life of me I could not even mouth them – you almost had me crying along with you.

God was working that day to make sure you found a good refuge in which to serve him.  What a testimony to “God is good”   — — —- “All the time”  — — —-!

Ed

From Carl Gustafson, an Emmaus Reunion Group buddy:

Good mornin’ brother,

I must admit, I’m not as strong as Ed, I DID cry a bit.  This email was topic of conversation this morning and celebrated on your behalf.

Ok, why did I cry?  After your email last week, I felt moved to reply but didn’t.  Then this one came and I had to do what I failed to do last week.

I too was looking back and found that through complacency, I had fallen away.  When things in my life stretched Jennifer and I in every direction, we got tired, worn out and complacent, failing to work on, or even be a part of our relationship with God.  I can’t describe, although I know you know what I’m talking about, the hole of void.  What had once been a very close intimate relationship was quiet.  In short, I was wwwwwaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy off in the weeds.  A couple of weeks ago, I showed up Tuesday morning, ponied up, and admitted to the gents at the table, I’m off in the weeds.  Their response, “what can we do to help?”  Now how’s that for a lifeline?  My response, accountability.

From the time of that admission, I jumped back into the relationship.  It was quite a shock to the system.  I started reading religious books at a fervent pace and committed to teach Sunday School for K-5 journey rooms.  This past Sunday, I went to one of my favorite places, the small chapel.  I ponied up to the rail, and on bended knee, admitted my complacency and jumped back in the game.  Communion, in that small, quiet, chapel was very special as I felt a “welcome back”.  Now that’s prevenient grace.

Now to my point….  Believe it or not, I’m celebrating my complacency.  That’s right, celebrating it.  Why you ask?  Because it showed me how night and day the difference is.  It’s amazing.  Being off in the weeds made me really appreciate how it feels to be on the road and the void in the weeds.  See…  celebration time.  My religious philosophy, “Celebrate everything”.  Good or bad.

Now that your back on the road, you know what it feels like.  Isn’t it worth investing the work and time into the relationship to stay there?  For me the answer is yes.

Remember, when you left, I mentioned the similarities in our walks?  Coincidence?  I think not.  Alpha taught me that there are no such things as coincidence or luck.

Now……..  walk on brother.  Remember, just follow the light.

Your brother in Christ,

Carl

I don’t think I needed any outside validation in writing these posts, since I am so certain that I am being guided by God’s hand in all that I write. But still, these comments and the positive use of my writing has further encouraged me to write even more. Or to say it better, I am further encouraged to spend more time thinking, listening and working for God. I am not a natural or gifted writer by any means. So, for me this is work. But I can tell when it flows through my hands, whether I write it in long hand or enter it in with my computer, the work is its own reward. And that God finds a use for it, as he has for these past months, is wonderful beyond my ability to understand.

So I will keep writing and use the encouragement you give me along with the certainty of God’s will in what I am creating to continue to write these humble words to encourage you and lead you closer to Him.

I didn’t know how lost until last Sunday.

Since our move to Colorado, Suzy and I have not attended church. We miss our FUMCR connection and the weekly buzz we got by attending and participating in all of the doings of the church. So last week we decided we would try out a church, and picked Vail Church, which is about 20 miles away in Eagle-Vail.

Saturday night I received a call from friends asking me to play golf with them early Sunday morning. We knew it was going to be a beautiful morning and by playing early I would be done with plenty of time to work on all of the unopened moving boxes in the garage. Pretty tempting. Now my friends were not doing the devil’s work, they were just being friends. But something clicked in my mind and I said no, I was going to church.

We woke up Sunday and headed to church about a 20 minute drive away, same as the drive we had for FUMCR.

Pulled up and the parking lot was jammed. Walked in and saw people of all ages in all kinds of attire, from dressy to casual. I could definitely wear shorts to church in the summer.

Sat down and began to read the bulletin. I couldn’t because I was starting to see white spots on the page… a migraine was coming on. I knew it was the devil trying to attack me. I remembered Suzy was drinking a Diet Coke on the way and asked her if she had finished it, she said she hadn’t. I asked if she had any chocolate, another way I overcome migraines (isn’t God good), when she reminded me there was migraine medicine in the car. I ran out and took 2 migraine pills and a couple of slugs of caffeine from the Diet Coke which also works on my migraines. I got back inside just in time to hear the start of the first song. It was an old revival song that had recently been released by a contemporary Christain group.

My tears started immediately.

I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit moving within this congregation.

The second song was “Holy is the Lord God Almighty”. I had been singing that tune off and on for the prior 2 weeks. I continued to cry.

The third song was “Indescribable”. The words were projected above the singers making it easy to sing along. The words were just beautiful…

“From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,

You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God

All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God”

As many times as I had heard this song, I had never focused on the words before. The tears continued to come.

The next song was “Amazing Grace”.

 “I was lost, but now I’m found”

How I kept from falling I do not know.

The sermon was given by Reverend Craig Smith from the Book of Daniel. He talked throughout the sermon about personal accountability, about not getting into yourself, about admitting before God your personal sins and releasing them to God. I was taking notes, this was really wonderful stuff. And as I listened, I heard Suzy crying quietly beside me.

I took my pen and wrote her a note that said: “I think we have found our church home?”

She shook her head yes.

We introduced ourselves at the end of the service and volunteered. We didn’t tell him what we wanted to do nor did we expect anything. We just wanted to say we were ready to serve, that God moved our hearts and we were ready again as we were at FUMCR.

BTW: Craig Smith’s sermons can be found at www.thevailchurch.com. I am going to listen to some of them over the coming days. He also tells great jokes, just like Clayton Oliphint at FUMCR. In fact we are going to send the joke he told on Sunday to Clayton. I had not heard it before. I’m still giggling about it.