Worth the Drive to Town

Pastor's Dan, Dave (with microphone) and Martin... (I clicked the shot)

Panel Discussion Group

Drove into Los Angeles today to share in a panel discussion with a group of pastors who've stayed longer than most in their current ministry. I've pastored here at Central Community in Riverside, CA since February, 1988... over 20 years... guess I qualify.

It was a good time with good people. Listening to the other pastor's on the panel, I could relate to their stories, hopes and heartbreaks... listening to them share... even as I shared myself... realized how much was going unspoken. Pastor Dan talked about waiting on God to speak before moving... thought about how many times I'd jumped in with both feet without slowing down to listen. Pastor Dave shared about walking with a church through her pain... reflected back on so many minutes I thought would never make it into hours, much less days and weeks... the pain had been overwhelming. Pastor Martin talked about the craziness of trying to keep it all together, personally as well as in our ministries, while under the demands of church life and leadership and the need for personal escape time. I thought about how many days running with a friend, surfing with the crew, lunch with a brother, cycling on a Saturday, Kayaking in the evening had just saved me from going bonkers... these guys knew my journey and it felt good to hear their hearts and see how they're holding up under it all. I was blessed.

The church is a small building on Florence Ave, just west of Florence and Vermont... flash point for the Los Angeles riots... the pastor's new, his name is Brian, a young guy in his 20's, fresh out of beautiful North Carolina... his office window sits directly on the sidewalk of Florence Ave... a long way from the green beauty of Chapel Hill. Listening to him briefly, sharing a wonderful lunch of catfish with some of his people and the other pastors, couldn't help but wonder what the next 20 years had in store for Pastor Brian. Praying that God uses him to do more for Jesus and His church than he ever dreamed or imagined.

Life happens fast... 20 years will come and go before he knows it... before we know it. Living to make the best of today.

blessings,

Eric

I'm Going On!

Mark and Wil Denton - February 8, 2008


I come from "good stock." A family of preachers, story tellers, followers of Christ with a shared history in the church of God: general offices in Anderson, Indiana... headquarters in Heaven. Debi and I spend every Friday with mom and Dad, neither have been in good health for a couple of years and they live with my brother Tim and his wife. Yesterday, Uncle Mark was down from Washington, where he's retired wonderfully with his wife Barbara, and we had the chance to do what we do when we get together: talk about the church, tell stories and sing... it was a good day. The kind of day you walk away from with a very real understanding that it may be the last time you spend a day like that with those people... wish you could have been with us.

Dad, in the red/striped shirt is 93, Uncle Mark, in the dark shirt, is 90. They were born in Princeton, Indiana: 927 N. Seminary St., two of the three youngest of 9 children. Dad and three of his brothers were called to preach: John, Glenn, Dad and Mark, built churches, led revivals, preached camp meetings from one end of the country to the other. Aunt Lois, the youngest of the family, who like Aunt Helen, sang beautifully for The Lord as well, died almost 20 years ago in Anderson. Uncle Glenn died last summer at the age of 95. Dad and Uncle Mark remain, living legacies. I digress... but God is so very, very good.

When I was a kid, the times we were all together were some of the highlights of my life... they all seemed like giants... lovable dad's, normal guys when they were a part... but together... almost untouchable. I think all my cousins would agree, when "the boys" began to sing, preach, tell their stories... it was a little like watching Clark Kent run into a phone booth only to fly out with the earth shaking power of SuperMan! Friday afternoon, dad and Uncle Mark sang again, beautifully... I tried to sing along... but I'm from a much more uncertain generation... the generation that inherited the mission, the music and thankfully The Message. But even still, in their 90's, when the song got going, I knew to go quiet and along with my children, now adults also, smile and enjoy the fact that we were just in the same family as these guys that God has used so well. He is too Good.

As the afternoon came to a close, we sang one more old song: I'm Going On. Hadn't heard it in years... but our hearts and voices swelled, all of us together as we came to the chorus: "I'm going on, I'm going on, until The Final Triumph, I'm going on. I'm going on, I'm going on, until The Final Triumph... I'm going on!" 90 and 93: 183 years of life- singing out loud, doing their best to rattle the windows, each one arm in the air, victory in their eyes, in their voices, most importantly, in their hearts... it was easy to see that they meant to go right on.

Our family- the Denton's -has not been spared heartache. We carry our fair share even still. But we've been given the church... somewhere at some point... each of us has had the opportunity to do what so many others have done... to "see the church." We've seen her at work in our families: spotless and radiant, filled with power and spreading glory in the midst of our mess. My testimony of my Friday afternoon is a simple one- "I've seen the church!" And she's beautiful, worth working a lifetime for, purchased with The Precious Blood of Jesus - One - in His Love and Grace, wonderful in the witness of the redeemed... I have seen the church! Glory!

In so many of my weekly updates about our work in Mexico, Los Angeles, Riverside and even Kenya, I find myself closing with these simple words- "wish you'd been there." Friday afternoon, wish you'd been there. Thankful our kids, Julia and John, had taken their afternoons to join us- it was fun to watch them use their phones to make video of their Grandpa and Great Uncle Mark singing... even more fun to see the child like wonder in their eyes and realize... even if they didn't recognize it right then... that they were seeing the church as well... inspired and thankful... when we hugged one another and headed out our separate ways, I left with a song in my heart- hope it's yours today - "I'm going on!" The Final Triumph is yet to come.

blessings,

Eric