Random Notes

I am sitting in the Starbuck’s on Fourth Street in the Ville. You know how I have been hollering that we need to pay attention to our immigrant populations? I mean that we need to be serious about developing ministries to them and among them. Well, two tables away, a young Russian couple are chattering away. Who is going to win them to Christ? Don’t forget the lesson of Pentecost: Jerusalem was filled to bursting with people from all over the world. The first century was a time of unbelievable prosperity and ferment. Rome reigned supreme, so there was relative peace and great opportunities for people from all over to travel freely. And travel they did. Some for business, but some also wondering if they might find meaning in the multitude of religions. They were drawn to Jesrusalem, wondering if the central ritual of Judaism, Passover, would help them find meaning.

So it should be no surprise that when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, the disciples were given the ability to speak languages unknown to them. Not only was that a miracle, but the content of the miraculous communication was precisely what the travelers were looking for: salvation, not in a ritual or religion, but in the person and life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These travelers, when they went home, what a story they had to tell! “First off, these Galilean fisherman, real rough types started speaking our language! And more than that, everyone from all kinds of places heard their own languages! But that’s not the cool part! They told us that there is forgiveness of sins, that there is a God who holds the world in His hands…”

The lesson of Pentecost: when God brings you people from all over the world, you are supposed to reach them in their own language so that they can go back home and tell their people. Or they can call back home. Or email back home. No matter how it works out, they spread the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ! Or don’t you believe in the Holy Spirit?

If this young couple doesn’t stop kissing and feeding each other fruit, I am going to puke. No matter what language you speak, love is the same. I am tempted to say something about the gift of tongues, but I would never do that on my blog.

Highlights of Annual Conference so far: making dinner plans with DG and Tiffany Hollums and Ken Klemme, doing my best Austin Powers imitation” “Viva Louisville, baby! We’re going out for a night on the town!” Burt Bachrach—the soundtrack of our lives… DG and Ken want to eat bait (sushi), but me and Tiffany have them talked into Q.

Ate lunch at the Delta, a place I really like and can’t say why. And, of course, I saw Turney Berry there. He has his own table there, with his name and everything.

I have discovered this thing called youtube. There is a great video of Ryan Ellis from the Rock singing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” It takes a big man to sing that, and an even bigger man to laugh at him… google “YYZ drum solo.” If you like weird time signatures and want to see the most vulgar display of power on a drum set, that’s the one for you.

I am reminded of how much Melissa loved Annual Conference, if only to mess with Ken Klemme. They had this feud going. One time, he ate all the candy in her gift bag and left her nothing but wrappers. You don’t mess with her Reese’s cups. So she changed the combination on his brief case… Things got ugly after that.

Bishop King had an illustration in his sermon that Melissa would have loved. Her idol was Susannah Wesley. Bishop King said that John Wesley learned everything he needed to know from her, down to organizing Methodism based on small cell groups: “Susannah Wesley would not quit having kids. She wanted John to be in a small group from the get-go.”

The Russian couple left, thankfully. I was about to have to turn around in the interest of modesty. They are from Kazakhstan, but happy to be here. There wasn’t time for a lot of questions—dude, they’re in love. In their place has come a guy wearing a Yankees cap. I’m telling you, I’d pull for the Al-Qaida All Stars before I root for the Yankees. As one comedian said, rooting for the Yankees is like going to a casino and pulling for the House. Bold Prediction no. 238: The Dodgers win it all this year.

While I am sitting here, the Ballesteros family comes in—they are in ministry to Hispanic populations in Kentucky, and Marco, Sr. coordinates church planting in Mexico. It so happens that I am sitting under a picture, they tell me, of Cordoba, near where they have planted a church. They did it by connecting with a family who came to the US and then went back and helped start a church. Pentecost, y’all.

Noella, from Congo, Melissa's friend, had her baby. Named Melissa Deborah. Deborah, the most powerful woman in the Old Testament. And Melissa, "honey bee." Can't do much better than that. What love from this family! And it proves the point: you'd don't have to do much except be friends.