Dr. Baughman

THIS SUNDAY AT ST. ANDREW’S
April 29, 2007
CONFIRMATION SUNDAY
Nancy preaching: “HERE I STAND”
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Joined to the church on Sunday were DOUG B. & KRISTINE S.. They have a seven month old son named ZACH. We were blessed to participate in the baptism of MAKAYLA ELIZABETH M., infant daughter of Brian and Holly.
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Sunday’s worship count was 779, with 151 kiddies in the church school while we were upstairs worshiping.
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I was gratified that people seemed to get into the Susanna material. I learned to preach the ancient narratives from Dr. Charles Baughman, my Old Testament Professor at the St. Paul School of Theology. Charles made the old stories come alive, presenting the material with passion, joy and a touch of humor. I learned last week that Dr. Baughman died on Easter Sunday. My life was enriched by his.
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While I’ve been back in Omaha since Tuesday evening, I’m just today feeling kind of locked-in and back to work. If you’re looking for a neat place to “get away from it all,” let me highly recommend Islamorada in the Florida Keys. It’s about twenty miles south of Key Largo. Nancy and I got a great air fare from Omaha into Fort Lauderdale, then rented a car. There’s a wide range of places to stay in Islamorada; we rented a cottage for five nights. It was the first time in a couple of years that Nancy and I had gone someplace just to relax. It’s pretty amazing, watching the sun rise over the ocean in the morning, then literally walking across the road and watching the sun set over the ocean in the evening. I picked up a great sermon to go with this summer’s “Pirates Of The Galilean” Vacation Bible School, the working title is “Underwater Jesus.” I’ve got some fun sermons going in my head now, including “#42: What We Can Learn From The Faith Of Jackie Robinson,” which looks like it will happen in June.
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TRIVIA NIGHT was a lot of fun. Scores ranged from a high of 86 to a low of 53. Okay, it was still too heavy on Baby Boomer material. In retrospect, I should have jettisoned one of my Beach Boys questions and gone with Prince instead. Still too old? I tell you what, if you’ll burn me some music recorded in the last twenty years, I promise to listen to it.
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Softball season starts TONIGHT as our Co-Ed team begins its inaugural season in a 7:30 game at Kelly Fields, on Fort Street (122nd, if I remember correctly), Field #5. Our Men’s Teams go into action this coming Sunday evening.
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If you want to see something funny, Google in HALLELUJAH NUNS and hit the YouTube link. Dig the low-tech substitute for Power Point!
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Prayers of sympathy for Kevin O’. and his family, in the recent passing of his father. Prayers for Tammy W., who is terminally ill with cancer; starts chemotherapy on April 23rd; has been given 3 months to live (friend of Deb N.). Prayers for Pat W., experiencing health issues. Prayers for William R., preparing for surgery on April 25th (son of Corey and Shawna R.). Prayers or Kathy S., in critical condition following an auto accident (friend and neighbor of Georgia and Steve C.).
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Then Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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BRD