Tetherball Nightmares

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

I have tetherball nightmares. Seriously. I was reminded of them as I drove through carpool the other day and saw a few kids playing tetherball. There was a girl who was brutally taking a little boy to school. I started to feel the trickle of a tear make its way down my cheek.

Let's start with a confession: I am extremely uncoordinated. (Case in point: if you ever see me trying to clap during a song in the worship service I will not be clapping on the right beat much to the enjoyment of my wife.) 

When I was a kid I used to play tetherball all the time at the Triangle Swimming Pool. It didn't matter who I played, they would hit the ball and I would flail unsuccessfully at it every time it came around the pole. As the ball would pick up speed, the rope would wind tighter around the pole, and my hopes for my first tetherball victory would be crushed yet again. Swing and miss. Swing and miss. Swing and miss. The crushing agony of defeat.

I experienced the same emotions in my early years of being eligible to play on one of the ABC softball teams. Don't worry, I won't mention any names here, but let's just say I probably led the league in strikeouts. That's right, in softball. I was so bad that whenever I even made the slightest sort of contact with the ball my team (and sometimes the opposing team) would cheer for me. But mostly it was swing and miss. Swing and miss. Strike three!

So, that's me opening up and being honest with you. Sharing some of my deepest humiliations with you. Now, let me ask you a question:

When was the last time you led someone to Christ? When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone who didn't know Christ? I mean, really shared the entire Gospel with them, and gave them a chance to respond?

If you are like me these are not comfortable questions. I can feel guilty and get defensive real quick. But the bottom line is this: if Christ has loved me and I believe He is the only way to have a restored relationship with God why would I ever hold that information back? Now, it's true, I might share the Gospel with a friend and be totally rebuffed or even ridiculed. It might seem like a swing and a miss--just like I used to miss all those tetherballs and softballs.

But in reality, when we share the Gospel, WE NEVER SWING AND MISS. We are being faithful--as ministers of reconciliation--and we leave the results up to God.

So, let's get to it! Let's make a difference in our community as lights that shine in the darkness! Swing for the fences!

Operation Inasmuch Thank You!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in Operation Inasmuch this past weekend. We had nineteen different projects in three different counties and you guys were awesome! Way to show the love of Jesus to our community in concrete tangible ways! Check out the video below for a few photos. (Music by Charlie Hall and Gungor)

Operation Inasmuch Highlights Video from Nathan Stam on Vimeo.

April 8 Operation Inasmuch Update

Chuck Thompson
Youth/Missions Pastor

Operation INASMUCH (OIAM) is less than a day away! Are you working with a project? Do you want to do more? You can read a brief description of some of the projects listed, their addresses and contact person's info from the OIAM roster. Please note the requests for help below:

Bob Lynch's class could use some more help with their interior painting project.

We need more folks to visit the residents of Chatham Commons Nursing Home. We're targeting the folks who are seldom visited. Families with children are welcomed and encouraged to serve here together!

We want to visit some of our church members who are shut-ins and nursing home residents, too. Drop by room 206 (Bell Room) between 9am & 1pm to pick up an assignment or two, and some flowers to take with you!

Everyone is invited to write letters to American soldiers in Room 206 from 9am -1pm. We'll have samples to help you. Also in room 206, we'll have a few computers set up so you can write to imprisoned, persecuted Christians - in their own language! Way cool - and easy, too!

There is a sweet elderly couple in our community who has a problem with the brakes on their truck. Contact Chuck Thompson if you want to check into this one.

We are still collecting items for other ministries in our community. If you would like to help, you can donate clothing, shoes and canned food. Just place these in the designated bins located outside the church office. You can bring these through Sunday evening.

If you or your team placed an order for OIAM t-shirts by the cut off date (this past Monday) it will be ready for you or your group leader to pickup from the REFUGE after 2pm today or after 7:30 on Saturday morning. (We got a few extras so some of you who registered later may have one waiting for you). If you have any other questions concerning Operation INASMUCH feel free to contact Chuck Thompson (362-6176 x232 or 602-5677), Amanda Poe 362-6176 x222 or Mary Cantrell.

April 7 Operation Inasmuch Update

Chuck Thompson
Missions/Youth Pastor

Operation INASMUCH is quickly approaching and we need your help! We are still collecting items for our ministry in the community. If you would like to help you can donate the following items by placing them in the designated bins located outside the church office:

* Clothing; Shoes: We need clothing and shoes of all sizes to pass out to those in need

* Bud Vases: We need bud vases to use for our nursing home ministry. If you would like to volunteer to help arrange the flowers in the vases you may contact Betty Coleman today! We will meet at 10 am on Friday in the Refuge to make the arrangements.

* Canned Food: We need canned food donations for our local shelters

As apart of our Operation INASMUCH service project, we will be visiting local nursing homes. If you would like to volunteer at the Chatham Commons Nursing Home you may show up at 10:45 am on Saturday morning. Contact Linda Cooke (362-8789) with any questions concerning this project. Families are welcomed and encouraged to serve here together! 

We invite EVERYONE to participate in our letter writing project! We will be writing letters to US soldiers overseas and Christians around the world who have been imprisoned for their faith. The most exciting part of this opportunity is that we will be able to write these believers in their own language. Wonder how we will make this happen? Come participate and you will find out! Join us between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm in room 206 (the old bell room) at Apex Baptist Church. Be an encouragement to those who need it most!

Operation Inasmuch Promo Video Two

Check out our second promo video for Operation Inasmuch and feel free to share it to spread the news of what's going down this weekend! Let's make a difference in our community loving people for Jesus! Email Chuck today with ideas or questions!

Operation Inasmuch Promo Video 2 from Apex Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Seven Stanzas at Easter

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

With Easter approaching in a few weeks I thought I'd do the same thing on the ABC Blog as we did with Christmas and post some thoughts, quotes, poems--for the purpose of awakening in our hearts a fresh perspective on the Resurrection and what it means for us as followers of Christ.

Here's the first. It's a few stanzas from John Updike's Seven Stanzas at Easter:

Make no mistake: if He rose at all

it was as His body;

if the cells' dissolution did not reverse, the molecules

reknit, the amino acids rekindle,

the Church will fall.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,

analogy, sidestepping transcendence;

making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the

faded credulity of earlier ages:

let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache,

not a stone in a story,

but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow

grinding of time will eclipse for each of us

the wide light of day.

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!