Debbie's Mom's 75th B'day [post 34]

Good News

My mom's 75th birthday was mid-February. What a blessing she has been and continues to be to us and almost everyone she knows. My sister, emphasis on sister, and I surprised her with a party and a tiara (my sister's idea) to wear on her special day. "Well, I'm just glad to still be here and be able to enjoy all this."
No, Mom. We are the glad ones, glad that you ARE.



As I get older, birthdays remind me of God's mercy and His goodness, of those wonderful "second" chances He provides. Birthdays are the beginning of something new. The old has gone; the new begins. Is this not a reason to celebrate? This is definitely GOOD NEWS!



This idea is central to the Gospel. Jesus came to do something NEW, to make us NEW, to eventually make everything NEW, hence the good NEWS! Each moment is pregnant with the possibility of new life. His mercies are new every morning and filled with promises for the day. Henri Nouwen says that this good news is like "listening to a voice saying to us, I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU AND CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO SEE IT!"



Of course, there is the other voice which often speaks very loudly that great lie: THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN. However, this idea is contrary to the central message of the gospel. God's whole plan is the beginning of making EVERYTHING new. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what He has planned for those who love Him. There IS something new under the sun, and we've been invited to participate and await its coming.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,

for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,

and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,

coming down out of heaven from God,

prepared as a bride adorned for her husband [a new life together].

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.

He will dwell with them, and they will be His people,

and God himself will be with them as their God.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,

and death shall be no more,

neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away.

And He who was seated on the throne said,

"Behold, I am making all things new."

Also, He said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

And He said to me, "It is done!" Rev. 21:1-6

I really like "these words are trustworthy and true" and "it is done." This is really, really good news. God's done His part; the rest is up to us. Who are we going to believe - the cynic sitting on one shoulder or God?

On July 8, 2007, Ron Catoe spoke at the morning service and had a really good word for our fellowship. He said that the last six months of 2007 would be like a brand new year for us and that by the end of the year, we would not be able to recognize the church in this area.

Our fellowship has undergone many transformations since that time. There is a lot of "new" going on. The Toronto folks have visited us twice, our worship has gone up a notch or two, the worship leaders are writing new songs, we have new worship leaders, our youth are meeting, the women are meeting, new babies are on the way, the men are meeting and have been working to clean up the upstairs section of our big building, we've had kinship training, there are many new faces in the fellowship, there seems to be more power, more healings, and on and on and on. In the near future, a team from Bill Johnson's fellowship will be here with us for awhile. Wow! I'm excited, but there is so much more than this in our future. EYE HAS NOT SEEN, EAR HAS NOT HEARD . . .

Let us always remember the good news - HE IS COME TO MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. Let us not get trapped looking at the past or worrying about the future. To borrow a phrase from Ron Catoe: "The windshield is much bigger than the rearview mirror." Let's look forward with anticipation and believe the good news and get involved in what God is doing. Let's hear His voice saying, "I have a gift for you and can't wait for you to see it!"

Yes, Lord! Thank you. We can't wait to open it.

- Debbie Handy

Doesn't Seem That Long Ago [post 33]

I was just cruisin' the blog, looking at some stuff. You know how it is when you forget your password and can't think of it for nine months and then one day it just pops in your head so you have to try it out, right? No? Oh well. Anyway, I'm cruisin' the blog and I go back as far as I can. The last blog, or first depending on how you look at it, on our site is from Oct 12, 2005. Guess what it is. 


Yep, a hole in the wall.


Check it out. I took the picture and put it here for reference. It's hard to believe we had a hole in the wall for over a year ain't it? Seems as though it were only a couple of months. Now, it's no longer a hole, but a passage way. A link from one building to another. I'm sure there is something spiritually significant to this, but I'll leave that to Jim.

-Todd Bagley

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.

-Tommy Puckett

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

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 

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.

-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:

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

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

-Todd Bagley

Ed: Todd leads our 4pm Worship and Bible Study on Sundays

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.

-Debbie Handy

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:

"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

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.

- Kris Catoe

Cynicism in the Church [post 23]

There is a cloud of things that I believe we don't want to face and it keeps us from being a part of a God-following community. It happened to us and then turned to bitterness, hate, judgment, and self righteousness and this is where we see the heart of rebellion in the Church. A whole generation of "social renegades" are on the loose with their fists in the air swearing change to the death!

So I wonder if there is room for those who are skeptics within the church? When do we go too far? When does searching for "truth" turn into rebellion and we see the roots of our pain? Why can't we just move on?

It is my thought that when we are damaged we tend to cry, freeze or fight. 


We are at a place that God is calling to many of us to stand up and move into His thing but that means that it has a cost. We have to be transparent with our faith that God is right, trust in others around us including leadership, and show our enthusiasm about what we are doing. No one said that passion is pretty nor is it perfect.

I feel God calling us to be involved and to rise up and face the truth. There is a honing place where we can reject mindless social trends and embrace truth, passion and justice and that is with Christ. It is possible that the cynical mind has a place in the Church as long as the heart of it all is passionately involved with forgiveness, which is fuel for the fire that will explode in movement.

Today I want to forgive those who caused me damage and be active. As a church I want us to be a people with naked passion inside that pierces dullness and opens a surge of life!

Stand up!
Shake it off!
There's a mission for you. You already know its coordinates.
Allow your feet to move to the rhythm of God's heartbeat.
He is for you!!

May God cover us all. May we be well to the point of getting over the things we feel hold us down. May God use us.

- Kris Catoe

Power on [post 22]

He controls the sky and the air.
He has a mighty arm with a reach of absolute sovereignity.
Creation comes from His thoughts and power from a simple breath.
He flexes His arms...Stretches His wings to rule over all.
The Earth covered.

All must come to His Lordship.

I say goodbye to all that held me (control, depression, judgment, anger and rage) because this darkness and His light can not mix. God be in control...not me.

Today I embrace MY King!

- Kris Catoe

Gifts [post 21]

Today began a little earlier than most days because my hubby had given me a few chores to complete before I leave for Chattanooga tomorrow. You know -- practical things I don't think about like replacing the windshield wiper blades and getting an oil change. So, there was no loitering around my house this morning. This retiree got straight up out of bed, jumped into the shower, dressed, and left promptly without eating breakfast. I did however take my medicine.



On the way into town, I did not stop and get the windshield wipers because I didn't want the man at RBC auto parts to have to replace them in the rain. Maybe it won't be raining this afternoon. I also did not get my oil changed because the whirling in my stomach reminded me that I had taken my medicine without eating. So, I decided to try out Jim's favorite morning eatery - Arby's.

Since it was raining, I decided to go through the drive thru. I usually don't do breakfast out and didn't really know what Arby's had to offer, so I was going to have to study the menu.


Usually, that invisible entity inside either has a nasally impatient voice, a rapid fire machine gun tone that leaves you wondering how much you owe, or a loud disinterested megaphone that leaves an impression of, "Why are you bothering me?"



This morning was different. Instead of the usual voices, there was softness and politeness and beauty and sensitivity and patience. As I drove up to the window to pay, I smiled and thought, "What a beautiful voice!" You see, this morning I was fragile. I didn't need those other voices.



Soon a wrestling match occurred. I have these little people that are firmly attached to both of my shoulders. One says, "Do it!" The other cries, "Don't. You'll be sorry." This morning the "do it" won out.



"Has anyone ever told you that you have a lovely voice?" BIG SMILE -- "Yes, a man who just drove through said the same thing." "Well, you do. You have a beautiful voice, and I thank you."



As I pulled away from Arby's drive thru, I was so thankful to God for this not-so-small gift and remembered Paul's thoughts in 2 Corinthians 2:15. WE ARE UNTO GOD THE SWEET FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST.



Christ has given each of us His Spirit, and His Spirit transforms all that it touches. So, everything about us can be usuable and consecrated for His service.



"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are different ways God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. These gifts are given to each of us as a means of helping us all. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another he gives the gift of special knowledge. The Spirit gives special faith to another, and to someone else he gives the power to heal the sick. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and to another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to know whether it is really the Spirit of God or another spirit that is speaking. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, and another is given the ability to interpret what is being said . . . So if God has given you the ability to prophecy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly . . . Under the Spirit's direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (1 Cor. 12:4+, Romans 12:6+, Eph. 4:16)



As we utilitze the gifts He has given us, we become God's gift to the body. What He has given one, He has given us all. There are no small gifts. "Whatever we have to offer owes everything to that which causes it to be (without Me ye can do nothing), yet God counts it as something." - Amy Carmichael



You know, it really is Christmas (Christ's mass) all year long. His gifts to us that we in turn give to others can be given every moment of every day of the year.



Thank you, God, for the woman with the beautiful voice for she was your special gift to me this morning.

-Debbie Handy

Thus is Faith - A Poem [post 20]

'Tis a world filled with chaos and trouble,
rivers of tears,
fountains of hate and misunderstanding.

We struggle to survive,
to smile,
to remember that this multitude of woes
only seems like a barrier of bronze remaining unopened.

The unmovable is but a momentary diversion
whose sole purpose is but to distract,
to disappoint,
to frustrate.

'Tis but the tempter's invitation to quit,
merely a dark cloud behind which a great light shines.

The light shines always
regardless of the cloud or the night.

Our task is to see the light,
to believe in its beneficence always,
to feel its warm smile in spite of the cold or dark,
to hear its gentle song in the night and know its purpose for our lives,
to touch its tears and its strength,
to stand steadfast,
solid like an oak that bends in the roughest wind
but does not break.

-Debbie Handy