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Jennifer will be starting back to college this semester.  In a few years, she will join hundreds, even thousands, of other illustrious alumni of the greatest liberal arts college in the US: Campbellsville University.

She is going to be returning as an undergrad student seeking a Bachelors in Social Work.  She already has a B.A. in English Lit. from EKU and two Master’s degrees in Christian Education and Church & Community Ministry from Southwestern Seminary, but this BSW will help her work and serve in a secular social work field without any problems or questions.  Not to mention, because I am faculty, it is cost-effective (aka free).

The Louisville Courier-Journal did a great piece today (12/30) on the CU Carver School of Social Work.  It tells of its history at Southern Seminary and how CU acquired the school several years back.

Click here for the whole story.

And if you wish to send Jennifer luck as she heads back into the classroom, you can email her at jrgarrison@hotmail.com.

Most sermons the Sunday before New Years are about making new years resolutions.  We decided to go a bit deeper this past week at Living Grace.  I preached a message called Africa, Infanticide and Ethnic Cleansing.  We looked at Matthew 2:12-18 which tells the ugly ending to the Christmas story including a bloody massacre of children and the holy family running for their lives.  Not your normal Christmas message.

If you would like to listen, you can go to http://podcast.livinggracechurch.com or you can find us at iTunes under Living Grace Church.

I am taking a couple weeks off from Living Grace.  They have a couple other speakers lined up, which should be great.  I will be back January 18 with a new series called Minding Your P’s & Q’s: Etiquette in the Family of God.  It should be fun.

Exactly 5 years to the day, Jennifer and I left Fort Worth, TX.  We packed up our measly possessions, our rag-tag furniture and wedding-gift home furnishings and drove back to KY.  We had both finished seminary and were now making the long journey back to start full-time ministry at Main Street Church in Alexandria. 

We had no kids.  I was leaving youth ministry and shifting to pastoral leadership.  I hadn’t even started doctoral work.  Jennifer was leaving Cornerstone Assistance Network (her perfect job).  We were moving to a new city, to serve a new church, and begin a new phase of our lives together.

What a day December 28, 2003, was?

So much has changed in 5 years.  We no longer live in the city we moved to five years ago.  We now have two children.  In 5 years, Jennifer has worked as a legal assistant, a medical social worker, a volunteer coordinator, and a director of a non-profit organization.  Now she is a stay-at-home mom, and soon to be, second-time college student.

In the past 5 years, I got to serve a great church and see God do amazing things in the lives our people.  I got a small chance to lead a Christian school.  I learned so much about ministry and leadership during these past 5 years.  I also got the privilege to complete my doctoral studies and nearly finish my dissertation. 

Now 5 years later, I am a college professor (my dream job), working at my alma mater (my dream location), teaching others how to lead in Christian ministry (my passion).  Jennifer and I are about to celebrate our 7^th anniversary and our marriage is better than ever.  We have two beautiful, healthy boys, which we love with all our hearts.  How things have changed?

I wonder what December 28, 2013, will bring?

The Sunday before Christmas is always a special day in the life of the church.   This was the case at Living Grace this past Sunday.  There was a special outpouring of God’s spirit upon us all.   The worship music, the time of prayer, the scripture reading, hopefully the sermon, and the worship response were all very sweet.

I preached part 3 in a series called E! Hollywood True Story called The Press Release from Luke 2:7-20.  If you would like to listen to the message, go to http://podcast.livinggracechurch.com/

I will finish the series this week with a message called “Africa, Infanticide, and Ethnic Cleansing.”  We are going to tell the untold portion of the Christmas story when the holy family have to escape ethnic genocide.

Written for CU Worship Arts Conference Blog

“Community” is all the buzz among progressive church leaders and Millennials these days.  It seems that everyone is screaming for biblical, authentic, transparent, vulnerable community.  I could not agree more with the need for healthy relationships within a loving and faithful environment.  So much in the Christian life is gained through doing life together.

But I have a question for those seeking community above all else in this postmodern age.  Are there unstated restrictions for entrance into your community?  Could it be that your community, much like the Del Boca Vista resort villages of south Florida, is gated?

What about entrance restrictions such as race or ethnicity.  Are there intentional steps taken to make the community interracial?  We seek the ministry of reconciliation but at what cost.  Will you invite people of a different race or ethnicity into your personal life?  Will you cross the tracks into “their” neighborhoods, not to deliver sacks of can goods, but to fellowship around the same table?

What about age restrictions.  Is your community being formed to bridge the gaps between generations?  Does your group have both the young and the old; the single, the married, and the widowed?  Will they even talk to each other?

What about socio-economic restrictions.  Does your community bring the super rich and the super poor together in the same living room?  Will the six-figure family drive to a trailer park to have their small group meeting?   Will the welfare-receiving family drive their rusted-out ‘88 Ford Aerostar van to the uppity neighborhood and feel welcomed and wanted?

Let me be clear, I, too, seek to create and foster healthy community among believers in Christ.  But I think it is a lot easier said than done.  It takes intentional and persistent vision-casting to sell the idea that we must associate with others who are different from us.  

The Homogeneous Unit Principle is alive and well, even among the small group movement and those seeking more community-oriented churches.  For true community to be a viable reality in American churches, we must face our prejudices, our biases, our racial bigotry, and our belief that some are better than others. 

We must take on the banner of Romans 12: 3, 16,  “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned… Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.” 

Only then do the community gates swing wide open.

Isaac and I were needing to do something productive last night.  So I asked him, “Son, would you like to make a game.”  “Sure.”  “What kinda game would you like to make?”  “Basketball.”  “OK, I think we can do that.”

So with some creativity and rummaging through the trash, here is the end result:  ISAAC Court.  A cardboard box, a 2-litre bottle, some bottle tops, and duct tape..not to shabby if I say so myself. 

However, after we finished building and decorating the game, Isaac kept closing the gym so I didn’t get much playing time in.  Gym owners are tough.

Yesterday, I preached message two of the E! Hollywood True Story series at Living Grace.  The message title was High Dollar Accommodations taken from Luke 2:1-7.   You can hear the message at: http://podcast.livinggracechurch.com/

We looked at the journey to Bethlehem for the 9-month pregnant Mary and her new husband Joseph.  Here is a picture that represents their journey.  (Any pastors needing some graphics for this Sunday, feel free…)

Journey to Bethlehem

85 walking miles.  No mention of a donkey anywhere in the birth narratives.  The distance is very similar to walking from Newwark to Atlantic City or in my area from Campbellsville to Elizabethtown to Louisville.  Ouch!

Next week, we will be talking about The Press Release from Luke 2:7-20.

As of yesterday (Thursday), I completed my first semester of collegiate teaching.  Four classes taught and completed.  This week was my first Finals Week on the other side of the isle; from taker of the exam to giver and grader.  I have always loved Finals Week and this was no exception.  It is good to finish well.

Tonight, I will sit as a faculty member in my first graduation commencement.  Last spring, I presided over the first ever 5th grade commencement ceremony as the principal of the Main Street Christian Education Center, which was great.  But tonight, I join many of my former professors (now colleagues) in that long processional march down the center isle of the chapel in formal regalia to witness 137 CU student receive their diplomas.   Only two of my students will be walking tonight, but just being there is quite an honor.

I truly love this job!

I started a new series yesterday at Living Grace Church called E! Hollywood True Story.  The series goal is to compare the celebrity worship of new born babies to actors and actresses vs. the lack of worship for the greatest celebrity to ever be born, the new born Christ.

Yesterday’s message was called “Who’d the Baby Daddy?” taken from Matthew 1:18-25.  We established that Mary was indeed a virgin and Joseph was not the baby daddy.  You can hear the message here: http://podcast.livinggracechurch.com/

Next week, High Dollar Accommodations.

The Garrison family Christmas begin this past weekend with a short overnight vay-cay down to Nashville.  You can’t beat the FREE Opryland Hotel for Christmas lights and decorations to wow your children.  We stayed at the Radisson Hotel across the street…much more affordable.  Isaac and I went swimming in the indoor pool and we all went shopping at the Opryland Mills Mall.   Great family fun.

Here are some pics from the weekend. 

A final update on Ethan.  He seems to be fine.  He goes back to the doctor today for a checkup, but everything looks to be back to normal.

I just have to share one funny story in this whole episode.  When Ethan had the first seizure, we immediately got off the road and Jennifer jumped out of the car to go get him out of the car seat.  As she was unbuckeling him, she was praying.  I mean really praying.  Praying with intensity.  Praying loudly.  Praying with a passion and a purpose.  She grabbed Ethan and got him out of the car and kept praying…even more loudly.

After I got off the phone with 911, I went to check on Isaac who was still sitting in his car seat wondering what was going on.  I tried to explain to him that Brother was sick and we need an ambulance to come and take him to the hospital. 

He looked at me and said, “Daddy, Mommy is yelling at Jesus.  She said ‘O Jesus.’ We’re not posed to say O Jesus.”  I couldn’t help but laugh.

We have never been so excited to see a rash.  Ethan’s Roseola rash began showing last night after his bath.   This is very good news, because the rash is the last phase of the virus.  It appears to have run its course in his little body.

Jennifer did some research and found out they also call Roseola ”Sixth Disease” because it was the 6th childhood disease discovered.  Isaac had “Fifths Disease” twice.  I wonder if there is a seventh?