This is my first post on the Vineyard Blog. It's not profound or literary or even serious. It's also borrowed. It's like me, a little silly and very simple. Thanks DAD for loving us.
-Tommy Puckett
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Sign For A Day [post 32]
This is my first post on the Vineyard Blog. It's not profound or literary or even serious. It's also borrowed. It's like me, a little silly and very simple. Thanks DAD for loving us.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
There's No Place like HOME [post 31]
There is no church like this church. Hey, but every church is just like that! Every church is a unique expression of that part of the BODY OF CHRIST. I know that sounds like Church-Talk. Actually, it is Bible-Talk. This guy named Saul who later changed his name to Paul wrote a letter to a church in Asia Minor a long, long time ago. Paul used the human body as an analogy of Jesus Christ as the head and the followers of Jesus as the body parts.
Gadsden Vineyard Church (the name we use 'cause we have to have a name or no one would know who we are talking about) is one of many local expressions of the BODY OF CHRIST. I would like to invite you to check the church out but then that would sound like Church-Talk again.
So what if I say, "So if you happen to be driving or walking or biking around downtown Gadsden around 10:30 on Sunday mornings stop in and hang out. GVC is across the street from Gadsden Variety Store in the 400 block on Broad Street."
- Jim Bentley
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Worship Is... [post 30]
"Things that we once thought were true now aren’t. The things we were raised to believe were truth no longer seem to be true because over time we all pick up little signs and baggage that attach themselves to us and mix up our understanding until we come to the place where all that is left is us and God, where the only thing we want in life is to be with God. That is what I think worship is."
- Laura Catoe
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Hagedorn Store-y [post 29]
Today I was at the Moxie working and I had a new client coming in at 2:oo. Her name is Barbara Hagedorn. Does that name ring a bell? If you were in Gadsden before the Mall opened you would know that Hagedorn's was one of Gadsden's coolest department stores and occupied our 417 building and the Fambrough building next door.
She enlightened me of stories of the events that took place there meaning the upstairs like a tailor, a lawyer, an artist, a hairstylist, and Hagedorn's management offices. She had a small sparkle in her eye as she spoke almost like opening a door that had been closed for a long time and good things being behind that door.
We had a great connection in fact she was my favorite client of the day. Before she left she mentioned an artifact from the first of the stores...a stainless steel cash register. She said it was very heavy and could take 2 people to carry it. She offered it to the church as a piece of found art as well as some framed newspaper clips of the store's history.
Cool, eh?
I can't tell what it means, but it sure is cool.
Thought you'd like to know.
She enlightened me of stories of the events that took place there meaning the upstairs like a tailor, a lawyer, an artist, a hairstylist, and Hagedorn's management offices. She had a small sparkle in her eye as she spoke almost like opening a door that had been closed for a long time and good things being behind that door.
We had a great connection in fact she was my favorite client of the day. Before she left she mentioned an artifact from the first of the stores...a stainless steel cash register. She said it was very heavy and could take 2 people to carry it. She offered it to the church as a piece of found art as well as some framed newspaper clips of the store's history.
Cool, eh?
I can't tell what it means, but it sure is cool.
Thought you'd like to know.
-Kris Catoe
A Gadsden Vineyard History Lesson [post 28]
The Gadsden Public Library's grand re-opening is today, so the Gadsden Times ran a story over the weekend about the history of the library. As I was reading it, a paragraph caught my eye:
I thought to myself "Hey, our church is in the 400 block of Broad Street. And when we took down the old metal facade of the 417 building, it says Moragne on the bricks."
So I e-mailed the author of the story, local historian Mike Goodson, to ask if that was our building. And indeed it was. The book club would have been upstairs. He sent me this picture:
(You can click on the pic to view a larger version)
At the far left is what is currently the Broad Street Basket Company. At the far right is Fambrough's. So those two in the middle? The Vineyard. 419 is the one with the temple look.
Link to the Times article (requires registration, I think, but registration is free)
The club purchased a small collection of books and rented a front room in the new Moragne Building, in the 400 block of Broad Street, for $6 a month. Club members took turns keeping the reading room open for patrons.
I thought to myself "Hey, our church is in the 400 block of Broad Street. And when we took down the old metal facade of the 417 building, it says Moragne on the bricks."
So I e-mailed the author of the story, local historian Mike Goodson, to ask if that was our building. And indeed it was. The book club would have been upstairs. He sent me this picture:
(You can click on the pic to view a larger version)
At the far left is what is currently the Broad Street Basket Company. At the far right is Fambrough's. So those two in the middle? The Vineyard. 419 is the one with the temple look.
Link to the Times article (requires registration, I think, but registration is free)
- Laura Bentley Catoe
Saturday, April 08, 2006
I say, "You what - HUH?" [post 27]
Okay. It's 3:15 in the morning. We have just had severe weather, which means I couldn't sleep. It's the strangest thing. I had never been disturbed by bad weather until I moved out on my own. Then, for whatever reason, I have since not been able to sleep through a hard rain. Oh well.
I have been up and about for a couple of hours and thought to myself, I'm going to read. And here we are. Let's venture into Matthew Chapter 16. Somewhere around verse 13. Jesus is asking His disciples who they hear other people saying that He is. They tell Him. Then Jesus asked the disciples who they say He is. Of course Peter says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus answers him and says, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
All right, now this is the part that really spoke to me. Jesus tells Simon, "I also say to you that you are Peter". Now why did Jesus say this? There was an obvious reason for Him to ask the disciples who they thought He was. He wanted them to understand where the knowledge of kingdom and truth comes from. So why did He say to Simon, "You are Peter"? I really believe He wanted Peter to understand who he really was in Jesus' eyes. Not who the world said he was, but who he really was in the kingdom view.
See, the name Peter comes from the word Petros, meaning a stone. Jesus says in verse 18, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." We know that the church is not a building, but the body. We are the church. I see in this scripture a new perspective of church and self. We are the church, but the church is built upon ourselves. Not the self in the flesh, but the self that is defined by God. The me who is who God says I am.
This is hard to wrap my mind around because I generally only see the me that is defined by me. And just like Peter did in verse 22, I often put my interests before God's. But amidst all that, I am still unique and special to God and set apart for His purpose. So if you see this the way I do, ask yourself who you say Jesus is. Hopefully, you too will say He is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, the Truth. If so, then you, like I do, have no choice but to believe Him when he answers your question. That question is this: "Lord, who do You say I am?''
Peace and Blessings
I have been up and about for a couple of hours and thought to myself, I'm going to read. And here we are. Let's venture into Matthew Chapter 16. Somewhere around verse 13. Jesus is asking His disciples who they hear other people saying that He is. They tell Him. Then Jesus asked the disciples who they say He is. Of course Peter says, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus answers him and says, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
All right, now this is the part that really spoke to me. Jesus tells Simon, "I also say to you that you are Peter". Now why did Jesus say this? There was an obvious reason for Him to ask the disciples who they thought He was. He wanted them to understand where the knowledge of kingdom and truth comes from. So why did He say to Simon, "You are Peter"? I really believe He wanted Peter to understand who he really was in Jesus' eyes. Not who the world said he was, but who he really was in the kingdom view.
See, the name Peter comes from the word Petros, meaning a stone. Jesus says in verse 18, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church." We know that the church is not a building, but the body. We are the church. I see in this scripture a new perspective of church and self. We are the church, but the church is built upon ourselves. Not the self in the flesh, but the self that is defined by God. The me who is who God says I am.
This is hard to wrap my mind around because I generally only see the me that is defined by me. And just like Peter did in verse 22, I often put my interests before God's. But amidst all that, I am still unique and special to God and set apart for His purpose. So if you see this the way I do, ask yourself who you say Jesus is. Hopefully, you too will say He is the Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, the Truth. If so, then you, like I do, have no choice but to believe Him when he answers your question. That question is this: "Lord, who do You say I am?''
Peace and Blessings
-Todd Bagley
Ed: Todd leads our 4pm Worship and Bible Study on Sundays
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Lent [post 26]
Lent - not to be confused with lint, those pesky, fuzzy tiny pieces of fabric that stick to one's clothing - is the 40-day period (give or take a few days) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. This holy season is usually associated with preparation, housecleaning of the soul kind. Many people fast during this season in honor of Christ's sacrifice and in anticipation of renewal and restoration.
The forty days symbolize all of those 40-day periods found in the stories of the Bible - Jesus' forty days in the wilderness before the actual beginning of His earthly ministry, Israel's forty days in the desert before entering the promised land, the forty days of grace that Ninevah received to repent, the forty days of rain in Genesis that cleansed the earth, and Moses' forty days and nights on the mountain of God receiving the law.
Recently, I discovered a little gem in some of Amy Carmichael's writings. Undoubtedly, as she was thinking about the season, she was also thinking about the verb lent (past tense of lend, to allow someone to borrow something). She was also journeying through a moment of sorrow.
She said, "Sorrow is one of the things that are lent, not given. A thing that is lent may be taken away; a thing that is given is not taken away. Joy is given; sorrow is lent. We are bought with a price, and our sorrow is not our own. It is lent to us for just a little while that we may use it for eternal purposes. Then it will be taken away and everlasting joy will be our Father's gift to us, and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces."
Therein we have hope. May we use the season of Lent and all of the circumstances "lent" to us in this life to "draw us nearer to the heart of Him who was a Man of Sorrows. He is not that now, but He does not forget the feeling of sorrow." May all of these "lent" things make us more tender to those around us, more like He was while on earth and still is today.
The forty days symbolize all of those 40-day periods found in the stories of the Bible - Jesus' forty days in the wilderness before the actual beginning of His earthly ministry, Israel's forty days in the desert before entering the promised land, the forty days of grace that Ninevah received to repent, the forty days of rain in Genesis that cleansed the earth, and Moses' forty days and nights on the mountain of God receiving the law.
Recently, I discovered a little gem in some of Amy Carmichael's writings. Undoubtedly, as she was thinking about the season, she was also thinking about the verb lent (past tense of lend, to allow someone to borrow something). She was also journeying through a moment of sorrow.
She said, "Sorrow is one of the things that are lent, not given. A thing that is lent may be taken away; a thing that is given is not taken away. Joy is given; sorrow is lent. We are bought with a price, and our sorrow is not our own. It is lent to us for just a little while that we may use it for eternal purposes. Then it will be taken away and everlasting joy will be our Father's gift to us, and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces."
Therein we have hope. May we use the season of Lent and all of the circumstances "lent" to us in this life to "draw us nearer to the heart of Him who was a Man of Sorrows. He is not that now, but He does not forget the feeling of sorrow." May all of these "lent" things make us more tender to those around us, more like He was while on earth and still is today.
-Debbie Handy
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Our Place [post 25]
IF you look around you, you will see others that are more majestic, more defining that ours. They seem to be more orderly, more in tune. They seem to have more purpose, more drive. There seems to be more commitment, more giving. They look bigger, better and more impressive. Their voice seems louder, their music cleaner and more in tune. They stand a little taller, have a more firm handshake and the smile seems a little brighter. But their hearts ache just like ours.
They too have fears and doubts and in an effort to run away from facing them, they build and plan and institute vision. When in fact all God wants from them (and us) is a simple:
I love our church. I love the time God has let me spend with Gadsden Vineyard. I love it that we are surrounded by churches downtown. All the different flavors of God's presence that is available to anyone.
I am grateful for Saint James, and 1st Pres. and 1st Baptist as well as 1st Methodist (maybe we should be 1st Vineyard?) Not to mention the Primitive Baptist across the street. Or the African-American church up the block from us. Then there is Open Arms International down the street, as well as two churches on 4th Street. There is only one church: THE CHURCH OF GADSDEN. SO thank you Lord for our little part in this wonderful mosaic of your glory.
mb
They too have fears and doubts and in an effort to run away from facing them, they build and plan and institute vision. When in fact all God wants from them (and us) is a simple:
"Thank you Lord for what you have done, now what can I do for you?"
I love our church. I love the time God has let me spend with Gadsden Vineyard. I love it that we are surrounded by churches downtown. All the different flavors of God's presence that is available to anyone.
I am grateful for Saint James, and 1st Pres. and 1st Baptist as well as 1st Methodist (maybe we should be 1st Vineyard?) Not to mention the Primitive Baptist across the street. Or the African-American church up the block from us. Then there is Open Arms International down the street, as well as two churches on 4th Street. There is only one church: THE CHURCH OF GADSDEN. SO thank you Lord for our little part in this wonderful mosaic of your glory.
mb
- Michael Bynum
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Carpe deim! [post 24]
"Thoughts on the move of 2006. "Plant your gardens!"
In your garden look to plant these things...
LIVE. And live well.
BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply.
Be PRESENT! Don't be past. Don't be future. Be now!
On a crystal clear, 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. Get knee-deep into a novel and lose track of time. If you bike, bike hard and if you crash...Do it well.
Feel the satisfaction of a job well done, a paper well written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well performed.
If you must wipe your 3 year olds nose, don't be disgusted if the tissue didn't catch it all...Soon he will be wiping his own nose.
If you have recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. And if you eat, SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of life because it's most definitely a gift!" - Kyle
These were thoughts from the pastor of University Baptist Church. It was the last of his sermons before he died during a baptizing service where a technical problem caused his electrocution. He was 33 years old, married with 3 kids. I found out about Kyle Lake when I was reading the latest issue of relevant magazine in fact most of this entry was from that article.
I was inspired by it and by Kyle's heart. May God watch over his family. I will see you soon my brother.
In your garden look to plant these things...
LIVE. And live well.
BREATHE. Breathe in and breathe deeply.
Be PRESENT! Don't be past. Don't be future. Be now!
On a crystal clear, 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. Get knee-deep into a novel and lose track of time. If you bike, bike hard and if you crash...Do it well.
Feel the satisfaction of a job well done, a paper well written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well performed.
If you must wipe your 3 year olds nose, don't be disgusted if the tissue didn't catch it all...Soon he will be wiping his own nose.
If you have recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well.
At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. And if you eat, SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of life because it's most definitely a gift!" - Kyle
These were thoughts from the pastor of University Baptist Church. It was the last of his sermons before he died during a baptizing service where a technical problem caused his electrocution. He was 33 years old, married with 3 kids. I found out about Kyle Lake when I was reading the latest issue of relevant magazine in fact most of this entry was from that article.
I was inspired by it and by Kyle's heart. May God watch over his family. I will see you soon my brother.
- Kris Catoe
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