As the first day of Lent, today also marks the day when many Christians around the world begin to either give up something or take on something for that 40-day period. It's done to focus our hearts on who we are in Christ and who we are called to be. For me, this year I will be taking on the challenge of reading through the Bible during Lent. I can't wait to get immersed in the Word for this season, as every time I read it there is something new. Just this morning, for example, I was reading in Genesis 1 about the creation of the world. The word good just kept jumping off the page at me as I read. That word is used six times in Chapter One as a descriptor for how God felt at each stage of creation.  "God saw that it was good..." is used over and over again, and on the sixth day when God looked over all had made, "He saw that it was very good!" I love that imagery of God being excited about us and the world he had created. We are created in his image and he loves us! We fall away from him, and Ash Wednesday is a reminder of that fall, but his love for us remains.

I hope you will join me in either taking on something or giving up something for Lent and moving closer to Christ on your journey. May these 40 days be a time of repentance, reflection, and renewal for you as you make the journey to Jerusalem with Jesus.

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.  Ware says that this was the most common regret of all.  As people came to the end of their lives, they looked back and wished they had followed their hearts and pursued their dreams.  So often fear gets in our way and we never take that step of faith into the adventure that God has for us.  I'm reminded of when Jesus came up to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee walking on the water.  There was a storm and the disciples were afraid.  Look what happens next:  "Don't be afraid," Jesus said. "Take courage. I am here!" Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. How often have we missed the exhilaration, the joy, the dream of walking on water because we did not have the courage to get out of the boat? (I highly recommend John Ortberg's book on this subject).
2. I wish I didn't work so hard.  This came from every male patient Ware cared for, as well as some of the women.  It's a powerful reminder to us all that work should not define us or become the be-all and end-all of our existence.  Balance is so key in life, and too many people make the mistake of thinking more work and more money leads to more happiness.  My first boss told me early in my ministry, "Make sure you take time for your family. There will always be work to do, but you only have one chance to watch your kids grow up."  I have always remembered that and greatly appreciated it (thank you, Rev. David Wilson).
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.  This regret has to do with honesty and wanting to "keep the peace" instead of making feelings known.  Ware says that many end up with bitterness and resentment after a lifetime of suppressing their feelings instead of, as the apostle Paul says, speaking the truth in love.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.  "There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort they deserved," writes Ware.  We were created to be in relationship, and walking this journey of life is too difficult to do it alone. We all need people around us who offer unconditional love, companionship, a listening ear and an encouraging word. I believe the church should be a place where those type of friendships are nurtured, a place where you can love and be loved, care for and be cared for, forgive and be forgiven.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.  This last one was surprising to me, as I had never given much thought to someone letting themselves be happy. The more I think about it, however, the more I can see this being an issue.  Jesus reminds us in Luke 12, "life is not measured by how much you own...A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

Thanks to the 2007 movie, we're now all familiar with the term Bucket List.  This book is just another encouragement to really give some thought to what's on yours and how you're going about making sure there are no regrets.  May God guide you as you seek to live a life of fulfillment in Him.

1. Unnecessary Worship Embellishment:  This covers a lot of areas such as being the only churchgoer counter-clapping in the clap gaps of everyone else during worship; over-harmonizing on every single song; as well as trilling up and down the scale like you’re auditioning for American Idol.
2. Roughing the Elements:  This penalty can only occur during communion Sundays and includes: touching multiple communion wafers before selecting one; letting babies backwash into a passing communal cup; expectorating on the platter of symbolic bread and wine; or taking a fistful of “host” crackers as a quick snack to tide you over till lunch.
3. Excessive Sermon Celebration:  While rare, young pastors and recent seminary grads are most susceptible to this infraction following a flawlessly delivered 3-point talk. The violation might be characterized by moon walking across the stage, chest bumping the worship leader, giving the youth pastor a noogie, or spiking the sermon notes.

What are others you might add to the list?  Send me your church penalty flag ideas on Twitter (@carnessv) and I'll retweet the best ones.  Don't forget to also follow Central on Twitter (@CUMCRogers) and like us on Facebook to keep up with all that's happening here.

A few years ago the American Film Institute came out with their list of the top 100 movie quotes of all time.  I'm sure you know number one on the list - the famous line from Gone With the Wind, "Frankly, my dear..."  How well do you think you know the others?  Here it is if you're interested.  I was struck by #13, a line from Love Story:  "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  Really?  Love means that?  I'm pretty sure that even after almost 20 years of marriage, the love I have for my wife doesn't give me a pass on saying "Sorry" when I mess up (yes, I know it's hard to believe that I mess up, but it does happen from time to time!). 

The Bible teaches us how important the word sorry is for our lives; in fact, it should be a basic staple of our vocabulary.  The ability to admit wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness is crucial to us growing in our faith, whether it's how we relate to God or one another.  The idea that since we're in love we don't have to say we're sorry when we hurt the one we love is not Biblical and it's not healthy.  Sorry, Ali MacGraw.

Why?  Well, there's so much to like.  He's a strong Christian who is representing Christ in all he does.  He leads by example, and he not only talks the talk he walks the walk.  Even Rick Reilly, controversial sportswriter for ESPN.com had to admit this in a recent column shedding some light on Tebow the person (an excellent read worth looking at).  He truly is a great example of a person living out his faith while in a very public spotlight.

But does God help Tim Tebow win games?  In a recent poll reported on by USA Today, 43% of respondents said they believe that divine intervention has played a role in Denver's victories with Tebow at the helm.  I'm having a hard time getting my head around this, but here are my initial thoughts:

• If God is intervening during a football game to help Tebow win, what happens when he loses (as he and the Broncos did in spectacular fashion last weekend)?
• If God is intervening in football games, why do teams win when led by a quarterback who does not profess any faith in Jesus Christ?
• Aren't there any non-Christians on the Broncos and aren't there faithful Christians on other teams that win some and lose some?
• If God is willing to intervene in the outcome of a football game, does that mean God is willing to intervene in other ways around the world?  If so, why isn't he?  Why are there still famines and droughts, wars and conflicts, homelessness and poverty?

So, I guess I'm not one of the 43%.  I still love who Tim Tebow is and I celebrate how he lives out his faith in the world, I just don't want us to start thinking that when we "win" it's God's blessing and when we "lose" it's God's curse.  Remember, God's promise is not that every day will be lived on a mountaintop; God's promise is that he is with us every day, no matter the terrain.  Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.Ps. 23:4

I send out a weekly email to the congregation every Thursday.  I think the discipline of a weekly deadline might help me here, so my goal is to update the blog once a week, every Tuesday.  As each week progresses there may be additional entries, but at least this will keep me on task for a minimum of one entry per week.

How can you help?  Well, thanks for asking.  You can help by sharing the blog with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.  The more people that have an opportunity to read it, the more I will feel the continual obligation to write it!  I love to write, and I think this is a wonderful communication tool that is different from any other that I use, whether it be sermons, Bible study lessons, emails, etc.  May this be a space where you are entertained, informed, and even occasionally inspired.  God bless, and see you every Tuesday!

Isn't that a great picture of what God does for us in the person of Jesus Christ?  We are made clean as Christ comes into our lives and creates beauty out of dirt.  Hope you can be here Sunday as we commit our new lives to Christ and the church for the year ahead.

People today pay lots of money to collect signatures of the rich and famous.  The most valuable signature of anyone currently living is Neil Armstrong - his autograph is worth $7,500 (according to Paul Fraser Collectibles).  The most valuable of all time?  William Shakespeare, valued at $5 million!

Is your signature worth that much?  Most of ours are worth absolutely nothing to collectors, but to God they are priceless.  When we sign a financial pledge card, an Every Member in Ministry form, a volunteer sheet, a building campaign card, we are saying to God, "This matters to me.  This is important in my life.  This is my commitment to you and to your church."  God loves it when his people take another step toward him and move further in their faith.

On Sunday November 6th you will have a chance to do just that.  It's our annual Covenant Sunday where we will be bringing our commitments to the altar and covenanting with God for 2012.  As a part of this commitment you will have an opportunity to make your commitment real by way of your signature.  It will be a symbolic way for all of us at Central to say, "I'm ready for another year of Connecting People to Christ and I can't wait to be used by God to help make that happen!"  I hope you can be here that day as we move as one body closer to where God wants us to be.

The first involves my time.  I'm always wanting to get where I'm headed as quickly as I can.  I have difficulty when life puts any kind of roadblock in my way to slow me down.  A couple of weeks ago early on a Sunday morning I was heading to church and missed the light over by Target - it turned red just as I was approaching it.  I sat and I sat and I sat.  No cars came from any direction.  It was barely daylight, no one else was on the roads, and I'm getting frustrated inside because I want to get to where I'm going instead of being content with sitting.  I could have used that time to thank God for the day, ask him to guide and direct my morning, to be with those who would be coming to worship that morning, or any number of other things.  Instead, I'm actually considering running this red light because I really need to get moving!  Just as I was giving serious consideration to breaking the law, the light turned green and I drove on.

The second involves my money.  One Sunday afternoon about a month ago I sat down to watch some football.  I was flipping channels and discovered the NFL Redzone Channel.  If you don't know about this channel, it has completely revolutionized the way we watch football.  Instead of watching one game, it takes you from game to game based on the action at that particular moment.  If one game has a team close to scoring, it will take you to that game.  If there's just a minute to go in a game, it will then go there to watch the conclusion.  Their slogan is one that the host, Scott Hanson, says frequently:  "We don't do commercials."  When one game goes to a commercial, the Redzone Channel just switches to another game. 

So, I discover that Cox Cable now has the Redzone Channel, and I get hooked.  The following Sunday afternoon it's on again, and again I watch it.  Then the next Sunday it's not on; instead there's a blank screen with these words:  "To order the NFL Redzone Channel, please call 1-800-..."  It's then I realize Cox gave it to all their cable subscibers for the first couple of weeks as a preview, hoping people would get hooked and then order it for the whole season.  Here's where the temptation comes in.  Is this really necessary?  Are there better ways to spend the extra money that it would cost to have this channel?  Don't I normally fall asleep while watching TV on Sunday afternoons anyway so I'd just be paying for a nap? (In case you're wondering, the answers to those questions are no, yes, and almost every week!).  I end up not ordering the channel and am now stuck with whatever game the network decides to show, but the temptation was certainly there!

I'm sure that each of you have areas of temptation too, and I certainly don't want you to think I'm perfect because I resisted those two examples (if the light had been red for another 5 seconds I was gone!).  My point is that life as a disciple is not easy - it's certainly much more than just making one decision.  It's daily decisions, it's moment-by-moment, it's constantly moving toward God and away from self.  We are called to make a difference in our world, and we have been given all we need from God to do it, but it takes intentionality, purpose, and the strength that only comes from God's Holy Spirit.  That's why spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading every day is crucial - it feeds our soul and stengthens our heart to resist temptation.  Part of the Lord's Prayer says, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  God wants to use us to help make that happen, but it will only happen if we also pray the other part of the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."  Please pray that prayer for me, and I will be praying it for you.