day after groundhog day...

I accomplished
what I intended
this past Groundhog Day.

Didn't repeat the day before.

Today
is the day after.

Yesterday...
choices led to an
interesting day.

In one moment I found myself in a small
seminary chapel worshiping with
others
historically labeled as
the
frozen chosen.

Only during this worship
our rigid, polite, orderly
ways were
melted by
the
Jim Cullum Jazz Band.

Crown Him with Many Crowns,
Amazing Grace,
What a Friend We Have in Jesus,
all sung
with the off beat
sway of
j a z z.

Our parents of yesteryear
would have considered the
whole thing an
abomination.

I tapped the woman's shoulder
sitting in front of me and said
with a smile,
"You are a disgrace to our
frozen/chosen heritage."
She responded...
"I know! Isn't it great!"

Indeed it was.

I suppose it was not by chance
that on my late night
drive back home
I was stopped by
a Sheriff Deputy for
changing lanes without
a blinker.

He was kind and
let me go
on my way...
but not before telling
me that he
too was a person of the cloth....
a
Chaplain...
a
Pentecostal!

If he could have only seen
that chapel
filled with Jazz
and
Presbyterians.

Abomination or not...
the sermon
challenged us.

We must point Jesus out
no matter where it takes us.

No matter where it takes us.
No matter where it takes us.

Perhaps
just perhaps...
the church has been in decline
because we have been
too afraid
to go where Jesus
might take us...
to embrace who
Jesus wants us to embrace...
to encourage and love
who Jesus wants us to
encourage
and love.

I'm thankful
I went
where Jesus took me
yesterday.

Today I should be
so fortunate.