I’d like your help! Have you happened to stop and reflect lately about what you really believe about God, and why? Perhaps not? This Sunday, for the Sunday morning message, I plan to teach on the topic above. I asked myself this question: What are the 7 essential truths for Christians today that we all should be able to agree wholeheartedly on? After some prayer and reflection, I propose to you and the Vine Street family the following 7 truths. But I know this is an unfinished effort, and I want your feedback and input. 

If you’re willing to help, I’d like you to read the following 7 truths that I am proposing, and offer 2 quick responses to each one. First, circle either Agree or Don’t Agree, based on whether or not you believe the “truth” I am proposing. Then, provide a 1-2 sentence response to the question; Why? Tell me the single best reason why you either agree or not. You might cite something from scripture, a church teaching, your personal opinion, or any other reason why you gave the answer you did. It’s not necessary to spend a lot of time in thinking about this – I’m just as interested in your first gut reaction to them.   

Tuesday night we finished up our 2021 Knights Baseball regular season. We won! Good game. Close game. We won 5-4. That made our final regular season record 10 wins and 9 losses. For most people, that means we had a winning season. 

I try not to get too hung up on winning and losing … but I’ve still got a lot of work to do in that regard! But I have gotten much better at seeing the blessings of baseball despite what the scoreboard says. 

This season was like no one other for the Knights. First, we were coming off the “lost season” of 2020, when our entire season was cancelled due to the pandemic. You may recall that I wrote about that season, and in particular the 7 seniors that never got to play their final season. Even to this day, that still weighs heavy on my heart. 

But this season became one of special blessings. My eyes were fixed more on the beauty and wonder that this game provides rather than the scoreboard. And we had plenty of amazing blessings to thank God for. Let me share a few:

> Our Athletic Director and Administrators:  Let’s start at the top. In my 4 years coaching here, I have never been so connected to the high school administration as this season. I’m sure much of that was because of the pandemic, but it gave me the opportunity to see all that goes into offering a sport in high school during a pandemic. I discovered first hand just how dedicated the leaders of our high school are to our kids and their families. 

In particular, our new Athletic Director, Nathan Seal, walked into a flurry of pandemic rules and requirements for high school sports, and Nathan was hands on with every team and every player in every season. And, I should mention, he did this every day! Oh, and by the way, Nathan is also our High School Assistant Principal!  

I am so thankful for the leader and administrator he is. Being a former coach, he always had the big picture in mind, and he worked many extra hours to ensure that our teams, and players, had every chance to play sports this year, whatever it took. And it took a lot of work from Nathan, and Shannon Cheek (Superintendent), Stephanie Seegmiller (Principal), and, behind the scenes, our dedicated school board members. I hope all of them get at least a week to decompress from this past year before they start getting revved up for another. They are all a blessing in my life.  

> An amazing group of seniors: Actually, there were 2 different amazing groups of seniors. First are the 3 seniors who there from the very first day that I arrived in Arthur. Amy and I were attending our first ALAH football game, and a small group of young men came up and introduced themselves, saying, “We hear you’re the new baseball coach.” Since that day, Logan Brough, Nik Miller, and Brady Borntreger have been committed to our team and their development in extraordinary ways. Indeed, during these 4 years, each of them has been a fixture in my life, helping to build our program and be better players on the field, and better young men off. And they have succeeded. 

The other group of seniors is 3 athletes at ALAH that made a personal decision to come out for baseball this year because, like so many teams in the area, our roster was very small. Thanks to Coach Jefferson (football) and Coach McGill (basketball) encouraging them, we added Wyatt Romine, Brayden Fay, and Jamison Rocke to the team this year. Wyatt and Brayden had played for us early in their high school years, but both chose to focus on their number one sport – Wyatt’s is basketball and Brayden’s is football. And Jamison (basketball) hadn’t played baseball for years, but he came out to help us too. 

I love a school where this can happen. At bigger schools, it’s much more unlikely that students can hop from sport to sport, or even from sport to band, or chess club, or bass fishing, or academic team. But here, it’s the norm. And because of that, our students get such a broader and deeper experience, I think, than those at big schools. These seniors are all a blessing in my life. 

> Our one freshman: Coaches seem to agree that our rosters go in cycles, so that one year we may be low in freshmen, and the next year we’ll have plenty. It all evens out in the end. This year we were blessed with one freshman who remained “all in” from his very first day of practice in February to this very day. Derrick Schrock is one committed ball player, and Cardinals fan too, by the way. Without a doubt, Derrick has made more progress in his game than any other player on our roster. He hasn’t received all the playing time he deserves, but that’s often the life of a freshman athlete. What Derrick has done, is put a smile on my face each and every day of practices and games. Just the other day, raining outside, we played our periodic game of whiffle ball in the gym. Derrick pitched. I watched all our guys have pure uninterrupted fun! Especially Derrick. Over and over, as I watched him with joy in my heart, he laughed and smiled, and played the whole game, too! And isn’t that what it’s all about.

This freshman, Derrick, is a blessing in my life.  

> Our parents and fan base: This year our home field was moved from Arthur to Lovington. Not everybody was happy with that move, but it’s clearly worked well for us. Except, it leaves many of our local Arthur fans with an 18 mile drive, there and back. But, as is said in one of my all-time favorite movies, Field of Dreams, if you build it, they will come. And our fans came. Each home game, I was so impressed with the turnout and the vocal support our team received. Yes, many of them are parents or grandparents of the players, but praise God for them. And, for our other loyal fans who showed up just as often as the families of the players. In particular, my mom, Lois Silvanik, came to several games, thanks in large part to my brother-in-law Peter. And Susan Bursa became one of the regulars at our home games, and would always flash the thumbs-up sign to me before the game. And a special blessing was Doug Davis, pastor at Arthur Southern Baptist Church, who was willing to broadcast ALAH baseball games for the very first time on the Knight’s Roundtable. That meant so much to our players and fans. All these folks blessed my life this season. 

As I always say when I’m writing about baseball … “I could go on” – and there are many more people that have blessed my life this season. But I think the point is clear. The true blessings in baseball, as in life, aren’t written on any scoreboard except the one in heaven, which only counts blessings. The true blessings aren’t runs, or wins, but the people that God surrounds you with as you attempt to share God’s love with a bunch of teenage baseball players who are still learning what the real blessings in life really are. 

For me, it’s the players themselves, the athletic director and administrators, and the fans in the community who actually care about the team, because the team is composed of “our kids.” Trust me on this one, the true blessings in life are not often found in the things the world places importance on – like the scoreboard in baseball. But rather the blessings are in the hearts of people around you, right in front of you, or sitting in an office at school making all the arrangements with opponents and umpires and busses, so that I can “play” the game I love and receive all the blessings this beautiful game offers me. 

FINAL NOTE: Our season is not over! This Friday, June 4th, at Lovington Field, our Knights take on Casey-Westfield in the regional tournament at 4:30pm. Win or lose, it will be a day of many blessings. I hope you can join us.  

You’ll find me in the 3rd base coaching box, praying,  

(Ponder this: this ancient but well-preserved epistle was found in the year 2414; in a clay urn; on  sheets of 8 ½ X 11 white bond papyrus; written in black printer ink that was common for the day. It was  discovered by a young boy tending his rabbits, who happened to wander into the ancient grounds of the  original Vine Street church. It is believed that the document was written in 2021, during the first phase of  the takeover by the Holy Spirit of this small but powerful church in Arthur.) 

(Or … was it?) 

Book of Acts: Chapter 2,648: Verses 1-4  

When the day of Pentecost came, there was a great sense of relief among the  congregation. The global pandemic was winding down, and on this very day the chief  moderator told the church that it was time to open. Thus, perhaps more than had been the  case in recent decades, there was a hopeful anticipation in the sanctuary the God’s favor  was finally making itself known again to God’s people. 

And so it was, that on this memorable day in the life of the Vine Streeters in Arthur,  and also in the life of all who were watching via the internet, they were all together in one  place. Both physically … and spiritually.  

On this day of the Lord, the Holy Spirit had already filled up the sacred space for  worship by the time the worship planner and church pastor arrived early in the morn. Then  the flames of candles – like the flames that shoot out of a canon at launch – caught the wind  of the place, and rode it all around the spaces of the church and into the hearts of those  present.  

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a mighty wind came from heaven and filled the  whole place where they were sitting. As the angels led the people in song, the mystical  reality of the real presence of the Spirit of the Living God showed itself to all in that place  that day … and to those watching live.  

As the songs led into the prayers, the prayer elder of the church read aloud – before  God and in the presence of God’s people – each and every name in the church’s book of  need. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each  of them.  

Then God became visible to those gathered in the fullness of the Holy Trinity. The  water of God revealed to us that God is indeed everywhere, and that we cannot live without  it. The ice of God revealed to us that God loves us so much that God became one of us, came  to abide with us, and then completed our assurance of forgiveness by dying for us. And third,  the God of their time and of ours … the steam of the Holy Spirit … revealed to us that God  can now be within and all around all those who seek to know God. No exceptions – steam  permeates everything and everybody.  

Because of the power of the Holy Spirit in the church on that day, all those present and  watching were infused with that spiritual truth of divine love, and immediately and forever  understood that God’s love was now available to all God’s precious children, through all  time.  

With the partaking of the elements by the assembled flock, each and every pilgrim  was consumed by the Holy Spirit, and began to think about, and speak about, their fellow  believers and everyone else across the globe in a new and different way. It was promised to  us by the Holy Spirit that God’s divine love can overcome any other feeling, emotion, opinion  and prejudice of any other person that instinctually latches onto our mind and is assumed by  us to be truth. All that’s a product of the self-will, an extremely powerful force in the lives of  Americans in the 21st century. But on this day, things changed: hearts were penetrated and  transformed; and Divine love was poured out on the souls of the people, and there was no  going back. 

Sisters and Brothers, this is a description of the day in 2021 that we now mark as the  beginning of the Jesus revival era. Just like in the 1st century, this revival began with a small  band of spirit seekers and soul diggers who had been touched deeply by God’s Spirit and  knew that the rest of their lives would be about giving their one precious life to God. With  that as their launching pad, the little church at Vine Street in Arthur, Illinois, began a journey 

that would begin a new Christ-like era of praising, worshipping, and serving God – all of it  Spirit-fed, and all of it Spirit-led.  

It’s Time! Catch the Spirit!  

This Sunday at Vine Street Christian Church, we celebrate the pouring out of the power of the Holy Spirit onto the church of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, verses 1-4, the description of that event leaves us wondering …    

Acts 2:1-4 (NIV)

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

As Robin was overheard asking Batman: Holy Spirit Batman – What Was That? 

Our worship service this Sunday, as God leads us, will offer a Pentecost experience for each person participating and for the congregation as a whole. I can feel in my heart the excitement in anticipation of Sunday! BUT … before we get to that, perhaps we should to see what things can be like in a church where the Holy Spirit is absent. 

For example, take our picture above. Here we have the money changers, the so-called den of thieves, setting up business on Temple grounds so that maximum profits may be gained from those least able to provide. Right below it, we have the description from the Book of Acts of the first Pentecost. Take a moment to think about these 2 different models of church. Think of them as the 2 ends of a line which depicts the fullness of the Holy Spirit in a church. On a scale of 1 to 10, The picture would be 1, and the scripture would be 10. 

So, that begs the question; Where are we on this Holy Spirit scale? How could we know? What indicators (signs) might there be to show us how we might rank? Those are the tough and important questions we should be asking of ourselves, and our church. 

For me sometimes, especially in matters of the Spirit, it’s easier to look for the lack of something rather than for the thing itself. Justice, for instance, is harder for me to see and understand than injustice. The Holy Spirit can be that way, too. 

So, I found a list of attributes that indicate if a church is dying. How grim is that!? For me, a “dying” church means “no Spirit.” They go together. Let’s see which of, and how often, these tendencies show up here at Vine Street:  

Churches that are dying:

And many more … Wow! Isn’t that rich food for thought, at no cost! 

This church of ours has never been one to shy away from self-examination. As I joined this spiritual journey of yours some 3 ½ years ago, I have seen the integrity and honesty of this church … of you! And God has been leading us. He’s brought us right to this place, today. And in so doing, God has prepared us for tomorrow by pouring out the power of the Holy Spirit on Vine Street Christian Church, Arthur, Illinois. 

Self-reflection is a powerful thing. Even for a church. Think about things you might add to this list. Keep it real. Be honest. Share if you feel called to. But most importantly, pray about it … lift it up to God with all your heart … and then ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. And wait (the hardest part!) for God to move. 

That’s it! Through that prayer, you have lifted us up to the power of the Holy Spirit. And if we all do that, daily, then God will work in mighty ways in the months to come. How, you ask? Through the Spirit of the Living God … which will melt us; mold us; fill us; and use us; in every way God has planned!    

God within us … and all around us,                                                                                           Pastor Bob <><

Have you heard the quote of Allen Saunders that John Lennon used in his exquisite love song “Beautiful Boy?”: Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Isn’t that usually how it works? Most of the truly meaningful and forever memorable moments in our lives could never have been planned for. The best we can do is “create the space” in our busy lives for blessings to seep in. And even that is a real challenge for us – to find even just a little bit of space for some God-time. 

The truth is, it’s a good thing we don’t have to rely on ourselves to take the initiative to schedule time with God in our daily itinerary. Because God will find a way when there seems to be no way. And that way, for God to reach us even in the midst of our frantic and full lives, is often through the most routine and ordinary stuff on our daily agenda. 

And when God gets through to us, especially when we least expect it, then it usually results in some “glimpse of the Kingdom” or “divine revelation” moment in our hearts. We know that something happened of God, and the ground we now stand on is holy. Epiphany! 

It was just this kind of happenstance experience that our 1st century spiritual sister from the Book of Acts had when a man named Paul showed up in Philippi one forever memorable Sabbath day. 

Lydia was her name, and she broke the mold in the “most likely to be chosen for a lead role in a New Testament story” category — and in more ways than one. Not just a female, but Lydia was a wealthy female. And is there really any more direct threat to the powers that be than a member of an oppressed group with a lot of money? But there’s even more. Lydia was also a successful producer and merchant of the unique purple cloth and dye that comes from plants in her native Thyatira. She’s a CEO too!

This Lydia, she’s a real triple threat. Imagine her status and reputation; her position in society and her business and finance acumen. No doubt about it: Lydia is a prime candidate for “next member of our church!” Not to mention that, as the story tells us, Lydia is also a worshipper of God. Extra prime candidate! 

What more could there be in life for such a person as Lydia? Success, money, family, status, prestige … all that and God too??!! And she knew it. Lydia knew that she had the “good life” that so many dream about in her culture. She knew she was fortunate, and blessed. And she thanked God each morning and night for the blessings in her life. 

So, what more could there be for such a person as Lydia? With all her worldly possessions and comforts, Lydia also knew that there still was one thing missing in her life. She wasn’t quite sure exactly what it was, but she knew it was there. She could feel it … deep in her gut. It was an emptiness that weighed heavy on her heart. And she knew that whatever it was that she was missing, it was precisely the one thing that she needed more than anything. 

Life went on … as it does for all of us. Continued success brought Lydia to the big(ger) city of Philippi. There, her household flourished and business was good. Lydia was indeed, a very blessed woman. And yet, the one thing that she had come to desire more than anything, still was missing. What was it? And where was it? And, of course; How do I get it?

Have you ever heard the ancient saying, “God’s timing is always perfect”?  For those who worship the Lord and dedicate their life to Him, like Lydia, God’s timing always works for the best. The closer one is to God, the closer one is to God’s perfect harmony. 

God’s timing was indeed perfect for Lydia on that one special Sabbath Day in Philippi, down by the river, as the ladies of the village gathered for worship. Yes, they gathered every Sabbath Day in this very place. But it was on this particular day, this forever memorable Sabbath, just by happenstance, that the man of Jesus named Paul, preached his words of truth to the assembled congregation of women that included Lydia. 

And so it was, in the very hearing of the words from Paul’s mouth, that God opened the “too long closed” door to Lydia’s heart, and in so doing, God enabled Lydia to respond to Paul’s message. Finally, the greatest gift of all; the living presence of God in her heart! The one missing thing. Until that happenstance moment. And then life for Lydia would never be the same. 

Before the sun fell, Lydia and the members of her household were baptized, and she opened her house to the followers of Jesus, as she would continue to do for many years to come. She was vital to establishing the first church in Philippi, and she continued to dedicate her life and her wealth to the cause of the Jesus missionary movement. 

All this, from one most ordinary and routine happenstance moment, in the life of one who lived the “good life,” worshipped God and knew God’s blessings, but still yearned for the most precious of all the gifts from God. In God’s time. In God’s place. In worship. In the words. In her heart. By her response. Union with God.    

I hope you enjoyed my little version of Lydia’s conversion story from the Book of Acts. Don’t be surprised if you hear more about it this Sunday! 

By the way, have you started thinking yet about what God might have in store for you this Sunday in worship? Just one more happenstance moment on an otherwise ordinary and routine Sabbath Day …

That’s OK. Lydia hadn’t either.  

 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18                                                                                         

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Today’s Lesson: “The Jesus Prayer”                                                       

Take a 10-minute personal prayer retreat by quietly reciting the prayer below.  

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! 

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! 

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! 

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! 

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me! 

(Dedicated to all pilgrims currently listening to the Way of a Pilgrim daily recording, and all who will begin this week!) 

Amen – Let it be, Lord; Let it be.