The Musical

We just finished the Antioch Summer Outreach Musical this past Sunday night. About three and a half months of work, three nights of the performances and about 800 people total who came to those performances to see us perform the Randy Gill - Jeff Walling version of Noah and the Ark. In all, there were about 70 people who work on or acted in this production. It was a lot of work and there were those who did so much more than I did to make it happen. It is always a happy closing night because you can let lose and have fun with the characters and adlib some stuff along the way. But, it is sad too. Sad in the fact that just about the time you have confidence in getting the lines down, where you are supposed to stand and those dance steps (something hard for us life long c of c people who can't dance and just don't have that body rythm) and getting it all put together in front of an audience, it ends.

This was my fourth of five musicals at Antioch. It is always hard to compare from year to year. There are really no comparisons because all of them are different and all of them have different people, different characters, different everything! One thing that was different this year was the "ROOT-Em On" award. Marcus Miller came up with the ideas in honor of Mike Root who started the Summer Musicals. It was two plastic goblets decorated with ribbon and ginger root. It was passed from person to person each night for work, effort and enhancing the performance for someone in the cast and crew. I thought this was a wonderful tribute to Mike for getting the Musicals started and the standard he set for the musicals.

I'm not sure how many more musicals I will be in if any. This year was a predominantly female cast and during the rehersals and the performances I realized that I was an in-between-er. It came to me that I was somewhere in between some of the groups of people in the cast and crew. Unfortunately there wasn't any of my close friends or hanging buddies in this play. It occurred to me that I wasn't connected to Antioch like I once was. We are involved in the CareStone ministry and have gotten committed to doing that each Sunday. We have gotten close and developed such a connection with our Small Group that overlaps the Sunday evening service we don't see people at Antioch as often and it has widened the connect I had with people at Antioch.

I guess the musical made me think about some of the questions I had set aside. Questions about truth over traditions, questions about double standards, about why things are accepted in certain situations and not in others? That made me realize I was an in-between-er because I didn't see anything wrong with it back then, just like I don't see anything wrong with it now. So, I am in between those people who do and did have that prejudice about an instrumental track. It made me realize that I still have those questions about what are we missing out on that God gives us because of our anchors on traditions?

LOVE ALWAYS

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't anymore. No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I love you." So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage ... And old cars .. And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what. Life is important, like people we know who are special, and so, We keep them close! I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way. Now it's your turn to send this to all those people who are "keepers" in your life, including the person who sent it if you feel that way. Suppose one morning you never wake up, do all your friends know you love them? I was thinking...I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling, or three words needing to be said. Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words and a smile can do. And just in case GOD calls me home .....

[submitted by Jimmie Sue Mathis]

The Wisdom of Larry The Cable Guy

The wisdom of Larry the cable guy.......
1. A day without sunshine is like night.
2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.
4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
13. How many of you believe in psycho-kinesis? Raise my hand.
14. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
15. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
16. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
17. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
18. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
19. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?
20. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
21. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, "What the heck happened?"
22. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
23. Light travels faster than sound.

Submitted by a friend in an e-mail, funny or true take your pick.

5 Years Ago Today

It was 5 years ago today that Aunt Mary passed away. I remember that day and the day before well. I remember that we had talked about several things those last few days and that she was glad she was here, close to Patty, Ora Kay, Inez and me.

Since the passing of Mama Ruth, Aunt Mary had taken on the role of Matriarch for our family. She became the central person for most of the Stubblefield family to contact. She was the one to call, mail, etc. When she died, we lost that center point to our family and didn't have anyone to fill that family spot.

Mother's Day 2007

Our Mother’s Day began with several things happening. I got a call from Whit and their son Eric had apparently sent him a video clip that we had talked about using in the presentation for Sunday services. We also were using clips from the children’s classes wishing moms Happy Mother’s Day and a clip from Tony Newbern in Iraq. I went to the building and got Eric’s video clip inserted in the slides and ready. Inez came a little later in time for the 8 AM service. After the assembly time we left for Carestone to help with the service there. Since Windel had been out of town, he had called and asked me to speak. I had first thought about Mary and put that aside. Then I thought about Ruth for a Mother’s Day topic, then about Timothy and his mother. I had planned on starting with Ruth and then ending with Timothy’s mother and focusing on loyalty, example and guidance. But, on the way to the 8 AM assembly and then on to Carestone the feeling of Mary for a topic was weighing on me and I changed. I thought about Mary as an unknown, poor girl who was engaged to Joseph and hand picked by God to be the earthly mother of Jesus. How she had encouraged him to perform His first miracle by changing water to wine at the wedding feast in spite of His resistance, He did as she asked. How when He was on the cross, the person he pick out to mention and show concern that she was care for was His mother Mary, John 19:26 & 27. Then to tie that together with the residents at Carestone for their care, guidance and example they had given to their children and for us to honor them for the teaching and guidance they have given through the years. Mrs. Burns always says something to the effect that she doesn’t know what she would do if she couldn’t go to church and always thanks us for coming to do the service at Carestone. I hope she knows that it does me more good than I can give to her.

We continued our family tradition by going to Gaylord Springs Golf Club for their holiday brunch. It is always good and we all have a good time talking and eating and watching all of the guest while we are there. Instead of writing a lot about it, here are some pictures of this year.

Patty, Ora Kay, Inez, Al Griner & Curtis

Patty & Ora Kay

Happy Mother's Day

Curt & Inez

The Day They Took God Out Of Schools

A friend sent me this link from a You Tube posting. It really sums up so many things that should make us think.

http://www.afr.net/newafr/wekickedgodout.asp

I hope you will view this and see if you agree with me on what my generation has accomplished in the name of Free Will and Free Speech. Have we lost control and are now reaping what we have sown?

How do we get the pendulum to swing back toward center?

MARY WINKLER TRIAL

The past week and a half the trial of Mary Winkler for the death of Matthew Winkler has been going on in Selmer, Tennessee. Matthew was a 5th generation Church of Christ minister. His family is very well known in the circles of the Church of Christ --- the old statement that you can draw a line between Nashville and Dallas and the majority of the population of the Church of Christ is 100 miles either side of that line. This family is known especially across Tennessee.

This trial is being viewed live on a local TV station’s cable access channel, replayed nightly from 7PM to 11PM on this same cable channel. It is also seen live over the TV station’s web site in streaming video, by streaming video on the internet from the Nashville Tennessean newspaper web site and from the Jackson, TN. Jackson Sun web site.

Watching the replay of the Mary Winkler trial tonight makes me so sad. Regardless of the outcome of this trial, no one wins, most of all the three surviving children of Matthew and Mary.

The trial has also put the Church of Christ on trial as well. It started early on with the statements of "strictness of the church, the teaching and beliefs of the church and the attitude of the church." Many of the “opinion” callers and people who e-mail into the TV station have expressed some very harsh comments about the church and their conceived beliefs of what the Church of Christ is about.

The TV commentators, Nick Bares and Attorney Nick Bailey have repeatedly said that the Church of Christ is not on trial, Mary Winkler is the one on trial. That is true from their viewpoint. But, shouldn’t the church be on trial too?

If the church, (its prominent preachers, teachers, authors, universities, etc.) have created such an environment that contributed to this tragedy, isn’t there some responsibility on the part of the church? Not to change Christ, not to change the scriptures, but to question the environment we as believers have taken that has created an environment of secrets, by presenting the front of happy, healthy, productive lives and marriages. Then, finding out through court testimony that this marriage may not have been the same as what was presented for the public. There are questions of mental abuse, possibly some physical abuse and even testimony about questionable behavior with the children. Regardless of what is believed from the testimony or to what degree you may believe the testimony, there was obviously problems between these two people. Obviously, neither of them sought out help from family, close friends or their church family, or especially their church family. Have the teachings we have in the Church of Christ created such situations of secrecy and hiding, putting on fronts, creating two faces.

James 5:16 (NIV) says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

As a child growing up in the church, this verse meant to go forward during an assembly and make a confession and have a prayer said for forgiveness. It was a major thing to walk the aisle. It was a major thing to go forward and write out your statement and have the preacher say a prayer. I don’t recall anything beyond this event.

Have we created such an environment of strictness that we forgot about love? Have we created such an environment or law, that we forgot about grace and mercy? Have we created such an environment that we have forgotten about Matthew 19:19, Matthew 22:36-39? Have we created the environment that is quick to judge and slow to help? Have we created the environment that has forgotten how to treat a brother or sister in Christ with an open heart who needs help?

In watching this trial and seeing both families sitting across the court room aisle from each other, I can not help but ask myself questions like, does this testimony make Matthew’s parents question if they really knew their son, if Mary’s family had any idea of her possible abusive situation? If any of the friends or people they may have associated with in the churches they attended have gone back and thought of situations that now trigger something that says, if I had paid attention to that then, could I have diverted this tragedy? Or, do we put this in our denial box and say this is not what it seemed, the only problem was with Mary, money and that is the only reason why Matthew is dead? Could not all of these alleged problems be intertwined and have contributed to this horrible situation? If any of these people that personally knew them, are thinking what did I miss, what did I not pay attention to and what could I have done to have made a difference?

What does this do for what we refer to as the un-churched? What view does this leave with people looking for God? What does this do and how does this alienate people who are making a decision about the Church of Christ or believers in general? Matthew Winkler was a 31 year old man who came from a long line of Church of Christ preachers, had a career of being a youth minister and now a pulpit minister for the Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer, Tennessee. Because of the publicity of this trial and the ties to the Church of Christ and the stereotyping of the Church of Christ, the church has been on trial over beliefs of the man’s role in the home and in church, the woman’s role in the home and in the church and how it was portrayed as an item in this trial. Fairly or unfairly, the church has been and is judged on the perceptions generated by the viewers of this trial.

This home had obvious problems. These problems were obviously hidden and kept secret from people who were close to them. Shouldn’t this make us as believers and part of the Church of Christ open our eyes? Shouldn’t this cause us to question how we portray and teach the scriptures? Not to change Christ or the scriptures, but to change the environment we can create by the things in the scriptures we stress in teaching. By the attitudes we have or by the stereotypes we give credence for others to believe, the stereotypes we ourselves make more believable.

Of this particular trial and situation, everyone comes out with a huge loss. Matthew Winkler lost his life; Mary Winkler lost her husband, her freedom, her children, her in-laws and many friends and acquaintances. Dan and Diane Winkler lost a son, a daughter-in-law and probably friends who have picked a side in this trial. The Freeman family lost a son-in-law, years of contact with a daughter, and possibly three grandchildren. The Church of Christ has seemed to have lost some credibility over questions of the “interpreted and perceived beliefs” of the church over a man’s supremacy in the church, supremacy over women and control in the home. All have lost.

I don’t have answers, only more questions. I see the need for the church to not sit in a corner with hands over their eyes and ears, and take a role in changing the environment to openness, love, help and addressing problems like these.