Praying the Psalms*

By Rev. James Lamkin

Psalm 109

*(The congregation is invited to read A-Psalm-A-Day during 2011. Here is today's reflection and prayer by the pastor based on a psalm from the past week.)

     The psalmists were not deists. For them, God was not an ancient, distant clockmaker who created the world, wound it up, then set it on a shelf to tick away and atrophy.

     Rather, God was active in the world and their world. And when God was perceived as either too absent or too overbearing, they complained. Frequently, the psalms read like a lovers' spat to the max! "Why haven't you...? Why don't you...? Weren't you supposed to...? I thought I could count on you...!"

     Palm 109 is a lament that turns into a prayer for vindication. Per their usual approach, the psalmists don't ask God to help them destroy their enemies...they ask God to destroy their enemies. Then, they leave the vengeance up to God.

     Psalm 109 reads like a worst case scenario. The psalmist does a brain-dump and puts all of the cards out on the table. He claims that his good attempts at caring have been met with ridicule. Then he lists the curses that have been hurled at him. (Note that the Hebrews were great cursers. Not cussers...but cursers. Our cuss words lack imagination; their curses had color and flavor, like: "May all of your teeth fall out, but one; and in that one, you have a toothache.")

     The psalmist has quite an exhaustive laundry list of curses; but then comes the reversal. He asks that God take all of the belittlements hurled at him and boomerang them back at the belittlers.

"May these be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,

of those who speak evil against my life.

But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your names sake;

because your steadfast love is good, deliver me."

     The psalmists took God seriously. We, instead, take ourselves too seriously. Maybe the best prayer for today is to pray for a corrective.

      "God, forgive me when I take myself so seriously, and You not seriously enough. In every worst case, and best case scenario, help me trust in your steadfast love. Amen."

April 20-Psalm 110

April 21-Psalm 111

April 22-Psalm 112

April 23-Psalm 113

April 24-Psalm 114

April 25-Psalm 115

April 26-Psalm 116

April 27-Psalm 117

by James Lamkin

"Jesus, Easter, and Waffle House"

     Years ago, I wrote an article about Jesus showing up at Waffle House on Easter Sunday. A week later I received a letter from the CEO of Waffle House thanking me. Turns out that his friends, and Northside Drive trustees, Wilton Looney and John McIntyre, both had sent it to him.

     I was delighted. If indeed, we are judged by the company we keep, then God has been generous with the "good company" of Wilton and John.

     Two years ago, about three months after Easter, John crossed the Jordan; and we still miss him.

     Once again, Easter is near. In memory of John, here is that Waffle House article....

     "If heaven ain't a lot like Waffle House, then I don't wanna go." That country music song! Intentional, grill-sizzling ambiance plus generous hospitality reminds us of home...and maybe of church.

     I go for breakfast at the W.H. about once a month. I take my Lipitor. I bring my journal. I sit on my pew; and I listen.

     First, I like being called "Hun." "Welcome to Waffle House, hun," they say at the door. "What can I gitcha, hun?" I'm asked at the counter. It's a welcoming inquiry.

     Second, I like a menu with meals I can pronounce; also, it doubles as a placemat. The All-Star Special Breakfast is my default choice.

     Third, my order is hollered-out with full-throttle twang, texture, and confidence: scattered, capped, smothered, and all the way! And that is just a description of the eggs!

     And who says employee/customer dialogue should be quiet and confidential? The slam/bam emotional processes help season the food. It's dinner theatre. "He done run off with her, but they ain't told them others 'bout it yet," I hear the woman beside me at the counter say. I'm touched. It makes me homesick.

     All Lamkin men cook. It is a full-contact sport. We make noise: hollering, burning, boiling, banging. We turn culinary arts into martial arts. Plus, we never put down a knife, fork, spoon, or spatula, in the same place twice. Pots are dropped, not placed. Lamkin chefs need spotters.

     If Jesus Christ were to get resurrected from the dead this week, he would head straight for the double-wide, yellow-rimed building. He would blend in with the regular customers: sulking disciples, absentee apostles, burned-out preachers, firefighters, and weary women who bear the weight of the world on their shoulders.

     Watch for him on Easter. As sure as the world, he'll be on a stool at the Waffle House breakfast bar, a bit nail-scarred by the wounds of life. A puffy-eyed waitress named Mary M. will greet him. She's cried all weekend because a good friend died.

     Years later she'll tell of this Easter. She'll tell of the familiar voice of the sacred, scared stranger on the stool---the one who called her by name, "Mary." She'll tell of his stack of waffles, his cup of coffee, and a side order of grits. Years later...when she tells the story...she'll say, "It was a lot like communion." 

Holy Week

at

Northside Drive Baptist Church

April 21, 2011: Maundy Thursday

6:00 PM, Supper

 7:00 PM, A Service of Tenebrae

_______________________

April 22, 2011: Good Friday

"Noon Until Three"

The seven last words of Christ.

Homilies presented by NDBC members.

Walter Grant

 12:05 PM, "Father forgive them..."

Kenneth Dean

 12:30 PM, "Today, thou shalt be with me..."

Zach Bay

 12:55 PM, "Woman, behold thy son!"

Mary Ann Hickman

 1:20 PM, "My God, my God why...?"

Conda Abbott

 1:45 PM, "...I am thirsty."

Steve Sheeley

 2:10 PM, "It is finished."

Carolyn Mahaffey

 2:35 PM, "Into thy hands..."

_______________________

April 24, 2011: Easter Sunday

11:00 AM, Worship

12:15 PM, Easter Egg Hunt

Combined Church School Class During Lent

"Pictures of Jesus' Passion"

with Steven Sheeley

@ 9:30 AM in Room 202 (Art & Soul Classroom)

April 24 - Resurrection

Mark 16, Matthew 28, Luke 24, John 20-21

Easter Sunday, April 24, at 12:15 PM

Front Lawn of Sanctuary

Invite the children of your friends and relatives to come to Northside Drive's annual Easter Egg Hunt right after morning worship. Also, please donate 1-2 dozen stuffed plastic eggs to be used for the event. You may drop off the eggs at the church office or in the Children's Sunday School room on Sunday.

Pastor's Wednesday Morning Bible Study 

The Book of Psalms: Poetic Praying

March 2-April 27, 2011 in Room 202

April 27.....Lesson Eight.....Psalm 121: Life as Poetic Pilgrimage

Young Adult: @ 20.30

On Saturday, April 30, the Young Adults will be gathering for a grounds clean up day at NDBC. All Northside Drivers are welcome to come and join the 20.30s as they weed, mulch and work. If you have been looking for a good opportunity to get to know some of the younger folks in the church, this could be it! As Susan Dew says, "You really get to know someone when you work with your hands alongside them!" For more information on this event, please contact Zach Bay.

Youth Sunday 2011

The youth will be leading our worship service on Sunday, May 1.  We will also be celebrating our graduating senior.

[Do you have a senior or know of a college student about to graduate?  We want to print their picture and future college or goals in the next issue of the Pinnacle, so send them in to the church office today.]

A luncheon will be served after the service! On the menu: beans, rice, chicken, beef, and tofu to make soft tacos, burritos and/or salad with dessert for $7.00 per person.

To make a reservation for the luncheon you may use the Welcome cards in the pew rack, call the church office at 404-237-8621, visit our website, or email your reservation no later than Thursday noon, April 28.

Technology at Northside Drive Workshop

Using the Internet, NDBC Website, Membership Database, Facebook and Twitter

Wednesdays May 4 and 18 at 7PM in the Fellowship Hall

Would you like to connect better with Northside Drive Baptist Church through technology and social media? Do you want to know how Northside Drive is connecting with our community and the world through our website, Facebook and Twitter? Would you like to know how to access your membership information on the church's membership database? If so, you should attend our first ever Technology at Northside Drive Workshop.

Bring your laptop and your inquisitiveness on May 4 and May 18 to receive one-on-one help with all of your technology questions regarding Northside Drive Baptist Church's website, social media pages, and membership database. We hope this will connect you better to Northside Drive as we hope to connect better to the world.

Fatal Embrace... 

Sundays in May @ 9:30 AM in Room #201

For the five Sundays in May, the Roger Williams Class invites you to join them reading Mark Braverman's book, Fatal Embrace: Christians, Jews and the Search for Peace in the Holy Land.  Braverman shows how the Jewish quest for safety and empowerment (which led Judaism to embrace Zionism's call for separation from Gentiles and a Jewish state), and the Christian endeavor to atone for centuries of anti-Semitism (which culminated in the Holocaust), have combined to suppress the conversations needed to bring about a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land. The book charts Braverman's journey as an American Jew struggling with the difficult realities of modern Israel. Books are available for $12 from Jim Barksdale.

Spring quarter for LifeSpan Resources resumes at Peachtree Presbyterian Church April 7-May 26. Come participate for a variety of interesting classes, including book club reviews on April 25, May 23 and June 27 at Trinity Presbyterian Church at noon. Brochures are in the Fellowship Hall and Narthex. Any questions call LifeSpan at 404-237-7307.

NDBC Newcomer Orientation

  by

James E. Lamkin, Pastor

"Who Do We Think We Are?"

Sunday, May 15, 2011

at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall

Since NDBC is a "different kind" of Baptist church, we will walk through our history, vision, and role in the life of God in the world. 

Newcomer Eat & Greet

June 5, 2011, 3-5 PM

at the home of Susan & Hartwell Dew

"Roots and Wings: NDBC's History and Hope"

A conversation led by James E. Lamkin, Pastor

June 19-24

     It's time to sign up for our summer mission trip! Since 2007, Northside Drive has led a week of Vacation Bible School/summer camp in Taliaferro County, one of the poorest and most neglected areas of Georgia. Supported through individual churches and the Georgia Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, TTWL provides summer camp activities for children in first through fifth grades.

     If you can tell a Bible story, teach a craft, provide a recreational activity, or guide a group of lively children from one activity room to another, then there is a place for you to share your talents and love with the children in Taliaferro County. While it's great to have volunteers for the entire week, you are welcome for any number of days that fit your work schedule.

     A planning meeting will be held after worship on April 17 for all who are interested in being part of this wonderful week. 

     For more information contact Susan Harlan, Rhonda Harris, or Barbara Atchley. 

Church Week

EASTER SUNDAY, April 24, 2011

  9:30 AM - Church School

10:25 AM - Children's Choir

11:00 AM - Morning Worship

12:15 PM - Easter Egg Hunt

EASTER MONDAY, April 25, 2011

Church & Preschool Offices Closed

TUESDAY, April 26, 2011

10:00 AM - Staff Meeting

WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2011

10:00 AM - Preschool Chapel

10:30 AM - Pastor's Bible Study

  6:00 PM - Northside Yoga

  7:00 PM - Adult Education Ministry Team Meeting

  7:30 PM - Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

THURSDAY, April 28, 2011

  7:00 PM - TNT

SATURDAY, April 30, 2011

  9:00 AM - Grounds Clean-Up