FUN - by Linda Brumley

Ron’s prayers always, always begin with gratitude. No matter the object of his current prayer--no matter the gravity or urgency of the requests he has to lay before God-- he always begins with the things he’s thankful for. His evening prayers almost invariably begin with thanking God for a “fun day”. Fun. Fun is a high priority in Ron’s life. He looks for it everywhere. If he can’t find it in the natural course of events, he creates it. But he always gives God the credit for it because it is one of the great blessings in his life.

Sometimes, when I hear him praise God for the fun in a day, I have to do a mental recap to see if I can pinpoint the fun he is referring to. Often I find I would have thanked God for a pleasant day or a peaceful day or a productive day but, for Ron, it’s almost always a fun day. I love this. It cheers me and challenges me.

Last Tuesday evening when we were praying together, I was especially listening for the “fun” in his prayer. We had spent the day (from noon to 5:30pm) at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, seeing a variety of oncologists to discuss my upcoming mastectomy. The five hours could have been described as informative, but surely not as fun. Add to that the fact that we finally got out of there just in time to fight rush hour traffic on near empty stomachs to get back across the lake to our home—you get the idea.

So Ron began his prayer: “Father, thank you for a good day. Thank you for medical expertise and our access to it…..” How perfectly fitting--it was a very good day!

Record Teen Attendance at NW Youth Camp

by Jay Kelly

Almost 300 campers, counselors and staff directors are spending this week at Pinelow Campgrounds outside of Spokane, Washington. Please keep them in your prayers. Jermaine and Stefanie Peacock and ministry staff from all over the Northwest U.S. and Western Canada are busy helping the youth of our churches grow in their devotion to Jesus and the bible.

Carol and I were there for the first night of camp. Mark McCune preached an inspiring lesson and the entire Spokane Christian Church joined the campers for the Sunday night festivities.

Below is a little clip of the first flagpole gathering on Sunday afternoon...

Seattle Church of Christ Receives Preservation Award

by Jay Kelly

I am continually amazed by all the ways that God has used our recent purchase of our 8th Ave. West church building on Queen Anne to further His causes and bring his people positive attention and abundant support from the community.
On May 20th of last month Scott Green, our lead evangelist, and Charles Robison, our Queen Anne Mission Town Leader, attended the 35th Anniversary Celebration of HISTORIC SEATTLE, an organization devoted to preserving the heritage of our city. Our church was honored with a Preservation Award for Community Partnership for Historic Preservation. Mayor Greg Nickels and many honored guests heard Charles Robison tell the story of our church building's near brush with demolition and eventual rescue. It has been almost two years (we closed on 8/28/07) since we purchased this architectural masterpiece and moved into our first church home.

Click here to link to the evening's program.

We are on the verge of becoming a Seattle Historic Landmark. Thank you to all who have helped us along the way. We received a generous restoration grant from 4Culture.org and are planning our October 3rd Auction Event to raise the matching funds needed to restore our roof and assure the building will be a thriving community treasure for many years to come.

Regarding Blogging by Linda Brumley

An old friend in another city called me last week to say she’d read my blog. It was the first blog I’ve ever written. I felt suddenly uncomfortable with such widespread self-exposure. I found this unease floating in and out of my mind all day long. That night, embarrassment settled in more firmly and I turned on my pillow to tell Ron that I regretted putting myself in the spotlight. I hated the thought that perhaps the blog had been self-centered and I offered him the chance to join me in self reproach by reminding him that I had read it to him and had sought his advice before posting it.

In a fashion I’ve come to depend on for the last 48 years he said: “That blog wasn’t about you. It was about helping others with your vulnerability. Turn over and go to sleep.” Ron: ever dependable to gather in the fragments of my sanity and bind them up with logic for another day/hour/whatever. I settled in for the night pondering whether to think of myself as an egotistical altruist or an altruistic egotist.

Altruism has to be among the most challenging qualities we’re called to as followers of Jesus. Introducing a concise summary of Jesus’ other-centered life the apostle Paul admonishes us: “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

We’re not asked to live out a sort of self-deprived stoicism in disregard of our own interests as if that might somehow benefit humanity. Rather, in recognizing our own needs, we become better able to understand the practical and emotional needs of others. We gain a keener sense of empathy with our fellowmen as we navigate our way through the struggles of our own lives. We are better equipped to “…do to others what you would have them do to you….” (Matthew 7:12) And if we approach life’s circumstances alert to the lessons that will teach us to lend an ear, lend a hand, and offer an appropriately consoling word, we better understand the beauty of the way Jesus approached his humanity:

“For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way…. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:17, 18).

Visit to San Diego by Linda Brumley

I’m at my daughter’s house in San Diego today on a trip that was planned months ago, and that I for sure would not have taken if I’d had a crystal ball. A week ago today, I learned from a surgeon at UW medical center that tissue he’s removed and sent in for biopsy revealed that I have breast cancer--again. I’m tired and I’m sore and maybe a little out of whack emotionally, but in no way in despair or panic mode.

People are kind and concerned and solicitous of my well being and I’m grateful. They tell me that I am in their prayers and this is more than reassuring, it’s a joy. It’s amazing to me thinking of my name being mentioned to God multiple times a day from so many sources--amazing!

Many urge me toward optimism, but I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic. I feel neutral--very still inside, very trusting that God is on the case and he’s got tomorrow figured out. I only know about today.

It’s sunny and beautiful here. I have a comfortable bed, assurance of three good meals that I don’t even have to cook, people to delight in and laugh with, family and friends who are on the same page with me spiritually.

I dread another surgery and I think that’s normal. I hate the thought of more chemo, but I can ride that wave (however grumpily--you can pray about that!), but I think I’ve finally learned to live one day at a time through a crisis. I love that Jesus explained to us that each day has enough trouble of its own! (Matthew 6:34) He so fully understands our humanity and the limitations of how much we can cope with effectively. He gets it that we are made of dust and I’m extremely relieved.

So today, I’m with my daughter and her great husband and their adorable, fascinating, talented, healthy kids. And right this minute, I’m home alone with their very cute, and equally stupid puff-ball of a dog, Ace (no offense intended, but I could tell you stories). He is sitting at my feet gazing up at me with these enormous brown eyes that look for all the world as if he’s sympathetically aware of my diagnosis. And until his playmates get home from school, he seems to have single-handedly embraced the task of filling my world with compassion. It makes me giggle. It’s a very good day.

Wed. Night Live Strikes Again

by Jay Kelly

The City Men Bible Talk Groups have been taking turns hosting our mid-week services. Each group has taken ownership, put their heads together and used their talents to inspire the rest of us. We've had some fun teaching, sharing, singing, acting, etc. which makes for an unpredictable and memorable evening. These times have touched our hearts and given us great discussion themes for our discipleship groups that follow.

Here is the skit that the Queen Anne Mission Town guys did this past Wednesday, 4/15/09.

Church Leadership is a Family Affair
By Jay Kelly

I had the opportunity to spend Wednesday and Thursday of this week in Sacramento with Drew and Kathy Nitchoff. We have been friends since we first served in the ministry together in Denver, Colorado in 1988. Carol and I had just moved out from Boston to help Preston and Sandie Shepherd build the Denver Church. Drew is an old friend.



Back to Sacramento… Drew had humbly asked me to come and help his leadership group iron out some differences. That is exactly what happened. We spent some time getting to know each other. We prayed. We shared scripture and we talked at length about the power in Matthew 18 to guide us toward reconciliation. We recognized that sin is a constant threat to our relationships and we fought back with our hearts and our bibles open. We all left happy and hopeful. The Sacramento leaders that I’ve gotten to know are an amazing group of men from different walks of life who are determined to come together and support the Nitchoffs’ leadership of the church there.

The more diverse the members of a leadership group the more potential strength there is to compliment one another and fill in the gaps (or to drive each other crazy). Our Seattle ministry staff is all over the map in terms of personality, talent and leadership style. We’ve been working well together effectively and happily for 12 years now. These, my best friends, couldn’t be more different from me, or one another… I grin thinking about the Greens, Brumleys, Kellys, Overstreets, McCunes, Fords, Whitakers and Wallaces being thrown together with Erin Ulm (office mgr.) and a few zealot interns. What an unlikely family affair we are. Our staff has intellectual edges and military pledges, artistic training and can fish when it’s raining. Okay, I’ll stop. You get the point.

As a member of such a diverse team it is easy for me or any of us when considering our own strengths and preferences to mislabel them as our “oh so deep convictions.” The next step on that poorly lit path is to look with disappointment at those around us that lack said “oh so deep convictions.” In truth, these are the areas of my spiritual life that come more easily to me than they do to others. As much as we may long for those around us to be more like us, embrace our priorities and mimic our habits we would be much weaker for the ease of it. A few classic scriptures have helped us to honor one another even when we do not understand or relate:
Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”
Matthew 7:3, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Matthew 18:32-33, “… ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’”

I’m proud of the unity and strength of the Seattle Church. Scott and Lynne Green have done a great job helping all of us in the church here to obey countless “One Another” scriptures. We have matured as a fellowship and are building a church that is a happy place to be a Christian. I thank God that I can say I would wish my life here on anyone.