Church Year
Wednesday, 03 March 2010 09:32
John
This article is printed in the March Tidings.
In his book Fatherhood, Bill Cosby speaks of times when his children were young that he started to question his intelligence as a parent. “I began entertaining these doubts,” he writes, “when my first daughter was about 18 months old. Every time I went into her room, she would take some round plastic thing from her crib and throw it on the floor. Then I would pick it up, wipe it off, and hand it back to her so that she could throw it back on the floor.
“‘Don’t throw that on the floor, honey,’ I’d tell her. ‘Do you understand Daddy? Don’t throw that on the floor.’ Then I would give it back to her and she would throw it again. Picking it up once more, wiping it off, and returning it to her, I would say, ‘Look, I just told you not to throw this…’ And of course, she would listen carefully to me and then throw it again.
“This little game,” he suggests, “is a wonderful exercise for a father’s back, but it’s his mind that needs developing. Sometimes a father needs 10-15 such droppings before he begins to understand that he should leave the thing on the floor…During this little game, the child has been thinking: ‘This person is a lot of fun. He’s not too bright, but a lot of fun.’” (Cosby, Bill. Fatherhood. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1986, p. 38-9.)
When it comes to matters of faith, it takes all of us time to learn and model the important things, too. We declare that we trust God, but personal worries can still keep us from sleeping well. We affirm the significance of forgiveness as a guiding principle, but can still be controlled by deeds of the past. We know the most critical calling of our lives is to nurture our relationship with God and others, but our best energy can be taken over by work or hobbies or television. In all kinds of ways, we can focus on the wrong things even while knowing that what we need to do is turn to God heart and soul, seeking insight or wholeness, renewal or strength.
During this season of Lent, I encourage you to find one place in your spiritual life where you want to grow and take first steps toward that goal. It might be to model patience or start a new prayer routine, to strive for greater balance in your day or offer time in the church nursery. It might be to join a Bible study or spend the first minutes after worship talking with someone you don’t know, join one of our church committees or volunteer to prepare a meal for our youth.
Whatever your plan, the key to change is choosing to begin and as you set out in that effort, don’t be discouraged if, in the language of that Philadelphia father, you endure 10-15 “droppings” or more along the way. For perhaps those times of falling short will help you discover why it was that God wanted you to take that path in the first place.
John
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Church Year
Monday, 15 February 2010 16:45
Bryant
Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, Mardis Gras, Shrove Tuesday—the day before a traditional season of fasting in which people would empty their pantries of their fattiest foods and consume them without inhibition. The tradition has grown from its origins, particularly along the streets of New Orleans, and we will mark the transition in our own way at our Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on Tuesday at 6:00 in the gym.
And after Fat Tuesday comes Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) in which Christians over the centuries have found different ways of preparing themselves for Easter. We are perhaps most familiar with the practice of giving something up for Lent: something we enjoy but know is not good for us, like sweets, soda, or television. This kind of Lenten fast usually ends up being a holy diet which serves to put us in better health (or a healthier state of mind) for forty-some-odd days, but does little to shake our feelings of busyness and disconnection from God.
What is a regular part of your daily life that robs you of time that could be more valuably spent? What are your habits or vices which help you escape from confronting the stresses of life? What preoccupations are preventing you from finding inner peace? The answer to these questions may be chocolate after all. But think hard about what is preventing you from resting in God's presence, and try to let it go for just forty days. See what happens. Or, if you'd rather, think of what would better enable you to foster your connection with God, and start making a regular habit of that for forty days.
After you've had your fill on Tuesday, think about starting fresh on Wednesday. And share with others what you're committing to for this Lenten season. You can even share it here on the blog by adding a comment.
Misc
Saturday, 13 February 2010 07:27
Bryant
On the home page you will find at the top of the right side a window labeled "DPC Headlines." This window displays the two most recent articles posted on our News & Events page. To find the News & Events page, all you need to do is click on the main menu tab labeled "News & Events" (note: you will not find this page as one of the options on the drop-down menu). On this page you will generally find three categories of articles: announcements, news and cancellations.
As with the DPC Blog, you can subscribe to the News & Events page so that as soon as new articles are posted you can view them in your feed reader of choice (for more in this, go here). This is a great way to stay up to speed on what's happening at DPC.
While we're on the subject of subscriptions, you can subcribe to almost any page on the DPC website. Let's say, for instance, that you are interested in activities for youth. By copying the URL (i.e. web address) of the element page and pasting it into your feed reader, whenever a new activity is added to the element page, it will show up in your reader. The same goes for Senior Adult Ministries, Women's Ministries, and so on.
DPC
Friday, 29 January 2010 20:22
John
The following article is taken from the February Tidings.
As part of our congregational meeting on February 7th, we will experience the joy of electing a new group of talented women, men, and youth to serve as Deacons and Elders at DPC. We will see the details of a record-breaking year of giving by our members despite the greatest financial challenge in generations, the operating budget approved for 2010, and act upon a motion regarding changes in the pastors’ compensation. All of those pieces have become standard aspects to the February meeting in recent years, but there is another part to that gathering which I’d like to address which will shape the future of DPC in tangible ways.
During that same meeting, you will be asked to act upon the following two motions endorsed by our Session:
- That DPC begin Phase One of the Master Facility Plan with the renovation and addition work in Andrews Hall and bridge connecting to the Sanctuary.
- That Doylestown Presbyterian Church borrow up to $5.2 million for its construction and renovation effort included in the Master Facility Plan, using the real property of Doylestown Presbyterian Church as collateral and that the Trustees of Doylestown Presbyterian Church be authorized to sign all documents necessary for said borrowing.
To help you prepared for those votes, let me offer some additional background and reflection.
In December, the Session hired the Lancaster firm of Caldwell, Heckles and Egan to serve as our contractor. CH&E has looked through the design documents and offered a probable cost estimate of the project making clear that we do not currently have the financial resources required to do everything our congregation approved for Phase One of the renovation effort. While it would be possible for us to renovate the parking lot and chancel area and replace the sanctuary elevator without borrowing funds, it is the feeling of the Session that to focus first on the renovated and expanded portion of Andrews Hall along with the bridge which will connect to the Sanctuary will meet more of the needs identified by our members as initial priorities.
The proposal to borrow is significant and historic, too. Currently, our congregation does not have any debt. The motion in this regard will change that fact and commit us to repaying the borrowed funds after we have moved into our improved facility. The cash flow model for that effort includes all kinds of assumptions. Among them: that we will have two more capital campaigns after the “Bridging the Generations” campaign ends in 2012, that the second and third campaign will have a mission component as well, and that any debt remaining in 2018 would become part of the operating budget. All of those assumptions can change and are not part of what you are being asked to approve on the 7th, but they do stand behind the model.
At the Session meeting when we finalized those recommendations, I shared the following verse from Scripture as I believe it speaks to what is happening here and what is ahead: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Such words seem fitting for this moment as despite the countless hours given by your fellow members and officers to get us to this point, there is much that we do not yet know which can only be learned as we move ahead. Yet what we do know with certainty is that the One who has set us on this path will continue along with us in what is ahead. Such confidence allows us to act.
I look forward to sharing in the meeting with you and continuing along this special journey as we together discover that which remains unseen by us, but already known by God.
Misc
Thursday, 28 January 2010 07:52
Bryant
Another new feature on our website is the Sermon Podcast. "Podcast" is a term created by Apple for their iTunes software which refers to free subscriptions that automatically download audio files as they become available. These audio files can then be transferred to a portable mp3 player or listened to directly from your computer.
All of our sermons are now available for download as a podcast. You can find the link on our Sermons & Bulletins page. In order to make use of this tool, you will first need to download iTunes (or another podcasting tool). You'll find on the bottom of the Sermons & Bulletins page, on the right side, two links. The first is a two-color box that says "RSS Podcast." If you have iTunes installed, clicking this link will launch iTunes and automatically subscribe you to the podcast. The most recent sermon will begin to download right away, and you will have the option to download up to ten other recent sermons. The second link says "Full Feed." If you use a podcasting tool other than iTunes, right-click on this link, copy the address and then paste it into your podcasting software. Depending on your web browser, left-clicking this link may also bring up a page giving you options for how to subscribe.
Now you never need to miss another sermon!
Misc
Sunday, 10 January 2010 19:37
Bryant
With our new website come a number of new features, so over the next few posts I am going to explain some of these new features and explain how to use them. We'll start with the blog.
Whether you're reading this on the front page of the site or on its own page, this article is a part of the DPC Blog. The word "blog" is a shortening of the word "weblog." At its simplest, a blog is a web page that displays articles (called "posts") and allows readers to respond by posting comments. Blogs are used across the internet for rambling, ranting, reflecting and communicating.
You can read the DPC Blog by watching the website for new posts, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed. RSS ("Really Simple Syndication") is a capability that allows you, using certain subscription tools, to automatically receive the latest updates from blogs and news sources. You can use (among numerous others) Microsoft Outlook, Bloglines, Google Reader, and even your web browser to subscribe to RSS feeds.
If you have created a user account on the DPC website, when you look at the DPC Blog you'll find a link at the bottom of a each post that says "Add new comment." By clicking this link, you can respond to the post or to comments made by others. I hope that through these comments the DPC Blog can be an avenue for conversation on a whole variety of subjects.
Misc
Friday, 01 January 2010 08:05
Bryant
Happy New Year!
It's the day we've all been waiting for to make some positive changes in our lives—the day that marks a fresh start. While I will probably resolve to do some things better or more often (or not at all) in 2010, I still can't get fully on board with the whole idea of New Year's Resolutions, and here's why.
First, it's just a day, like any other. If we want to make positive changes in our lives, why do we wait until January 1? Why do we even wait until tomorrow? If we are dissatisfied with our exercise habits or the way we eat, why hold out until the first of the year, squandering the opportunity of the days leading up to that day? If we are working to rid ourselves of destructive habits, every day that goes by is a victory for the addiction and a defeat for us. If something is so important to us that we are willing to commit ourselves to it fully, why wait?
Second, the New Year is going to be a lot like the old year. As we look out on the fresh new horizons of the year ahead of us, it is easy to forget all of the things about life that made the last year what it was. The stresses of work and family will still be there. The unexpected demands on our time will still pop up more often than we expect. And things that matter a great deal to us will not go the way that we hope. The world does not change on January 1, though our optimism often makes us feel that we will not be subject to the ups and downs of everyday life the way were were "back then."
Third, there's no grace. I have learned that the absolute worst way to accomplish significant change is to resolve to do it. By this I mean that any major change requires much more than the resolve to do it, because resolve fades. And when our resolve fades, we suddenly remember how difficult a thing we are attempting and our failure overwhelms us. And to think, we actually thought this year would be different! When we expect perfection, imperfection (which is the norm—we're human, after all) is devastating, and our resolution fails. There's always next year...
So, what to do? Make your resolutions today, not because today is New Year's Day, but because today is today. Accept the fact that you are still you and the world is still the world. And finally, allow yourself some grace. God doesn't expect perfection of us, so neither should you. When you slip up (and you will), take it in stride and continue to work toward your goals. Don't go it alone—let others know of your goals so they can hold you accountable.
Just don't wait until January 1, 2011!
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