All Things Goofy

Undoubtedly, you’ve heard about the unreal amounts of rain that affected Middle Tennessee.  One- and Two-day rain totals were broken as well as the record for the month of May.  In only two days, we had a higher rain total than in any previous month of May.  This has resulted in catastrophic flooding throughout the greater Nashville area.

One of the hardest hit areas is downtown Nashville.  Last night the Cumberland River overflowed into our city. The last report received state the River at 49 ft, which is 9 ft above flood levels.  It is now reaching 2nd avenue.  One area that was greatly effected, but isn’t getting much attention, is Tent City, Nashville’s largest homeless community.  They were evacuated yesterday, but they were unable to take most of their belongings with them.  Primarily left behind were their tents, sleeping bags, tarps, and camp stoves, etc.  In response to this, we are organizing a drive to collect these items to help them stay warm and dry and rebuild once the river recedes.

If you have a sleeping bag, tent, tarp, camp stove, pillows, or any other camping gear in good condition that you don’t really use, would you donate it? Or would you buy some to donate? Or simply donate money or a gift card, so that new tents and sleeping bags can be bought and distributed? We have set up drop-off points throughout the Middle Tennessee area.  If you cannot get your donation to one of these locations, please contact me so we can have someone come and get it.  Any monetary donations can be sent to Fellowship Bible Church(address below) with the memo line “Nashville Flood” and we will purchase tents/sleeping bags for you.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email: brian@senecal.us or phone/text: 615-428-8989.

If your church is willing to serve as a drop off point please contact me and I will add you to the list below.

More then anything, please be praying for everyone affected by this flood.  Many in Nashville have lost everything or close to it.  Thank you so much for your help and prayers!! The city of Nashville will rebuild!

Stay tuned here for updates.

Brian Senecal

Drop-off points:

• Fellowship Bible Church – 6360 Franklin Road, Murfreesboro, TN  (615) 893-6652 Contact: Chad Vinson
• Hendersonville First Methodist Church — 217 East Main St, Hendersonville, TN (615) 824-8725 Contact: Gavin Richardson
• Otter Creek Church of Christ — 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN (615) 373-1782 Contact: Doug Sanders
• Hermitage UMC — 205 Belinda Dr, Hermitage, TN (615) 883-3918 Contact: Chris Seifert
• more locations coming

Edited to add locations 5/3/2010, 3:15pm

In today’s financial crunch it can be easy to forget that we have plenty to be thankful for.  The aforementioned crunch has been particularly hard on us.  The job I got at the beginning of the year didn’t last long.  I had to step down from my position as youth pastor at church.  We had to find a new church and leave behind people we cared about deeply.  We had to move out of the house we have rented since moving to Nashville 3.5 years ago and leave behind the best landlord on the face of this earth.  The job market has dried up significantly here.  Needless to say, it can be difficult to find things to be thankful for.

However, the truth is that there is plenty to be thankful for:

• I am alive and well
• I have the most beautiful, smart, loving, incredible wife on the planet!
• I have a motivated, entrepreneurial hyper-intelligent son that I am incredibly proud of!
• I have the most beautiful, entertaining, smart 7 year old in the universe!
• I have the most amazing, advanced, smart 2 year old around!
• I have a beautiful home to stay in while we look for a new place.
• I have the BEST in-laws.  Since the invention of marriage, there have been five in-laws that were rated the most loving, the most pure. These leave them all behind.
• I have a great new church where I am surrounded my solid, mature believers and real, authentic leaders.
• I have the best best friend a guy could ask for.
• I have awesome parents who love me dearly!
• I have an incredible brother who I love talking to!
• I have loving sisters—even if they like to pretend that they aren’t (well, one of them)
• I have some of the best aunts & uncles that a kid could ask for.
• I have incredible friends back up north who I miss incredibly
• I have unbelievably loyal, loving, REAL friends whom I have met over the interwebs
• I’ve had the opportunity this last year to speak into the lives of some awesome teens
• I’m sure there are TONS of things/people who I am missing and I apologize to them, but it is 3am and my memory isn’t what it used to be!

I had an assignment in one of my classes at Liberty recently where I had to write a parallel situation to Phil 4:13, “I can do all things though Him who gives me strength.”  The lesson talked about how often this verse is taken out of context and that Paul’s primary point is that no matter how tough things get, Christ will see us through.  There is no situation we can find ourselves in that Christ can’t handle.  Things may not go our way, but they will go His way.  Paul’s trying to tell us that with Christ by our side we can be content through our trials.  I can say by first hand experience that this is entirely true.And that leads to me the things I am most thankful for….

• I am thankful for God’s Word
• I am thankful that my sins are forgiven
• I am thankful for a God that loves me unconditionally
• I am thankful for a Savior who died so I don’t have to

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever.” – 1 Chron 16:34

I recently had the privilege of reviewing Switchfoot’s latest album over at Youth Minsitry Exchange.  Here is a sample…follow the link to the actual article!

For three long years a storm has been building on the horizon.  Changes in the atmosphere have taken place – a new in-home studio, a new label, and a return to a sense of purpose.  Hello Hurricane, the seventh studio album from the San Diego quintet Switchfoot, clearly shows the effects of those changes.  “We built our own studio so we wouldn’t be paying and playing by the hour,” says frontman Jon Foreman.  Prepare for a musical storm.

The first single, “Mess of Me”, lays the foundation for the lyrical heart of this album.  “I am my own affliction,” the song so honestly lays out.  The riffs are pounding and usually I find myself jumping up and down before the song ends, concluding,   “I’ve made a mess of me, I want to spend the rest of my life alive!”  While “Your Love is a Song” is a calmer, more melodic offering in which Foreman harmoniously declares, “I’ve got my eyes wide open, I’ve been keeping my hopes unbroken.”

Click here to continue reading

OK, that title was more for attention grabbing then anything else.

But it does have to do with Michigan football.and the Gospel.

I was basking in the glow of UM’s victory over Notre Dame earlier.  After reading of their re-entry into the APTop25, I started analyzing in my mind their upcoming schedule and what to expect.  I was very  excited at the prospects of not only staying in the top 25, but climbing the ranks.  I smiled from ear to ear at the hope I had in this season and the next few.  It suddenly occurred to me that if you had asked me this offseason that I never would have expected the start of this season to go as it has.  Now don’t get me wrong, the program has a long way to go, and I am still not 100% sold on RichRod.  But the grim outlook I had last year has been wiped away and replaced with hope.  Tate Forcier is amazing and may turn out to be the best QB1 ever at Michigan.  He is poised, smart, and has a great arm.  Last year looked horrible on the surface, but the truth is that the work was underway and the hope was there the whole time.  RichRod was/is teaching his players his system–something that takes time.  The pieces are being put into place.  (Hopefully the pieces on defense are going in this week!)  Amidst the blowouts, the losses to teams we weren’t supposed to lose to, and departures of players we thought would have great careers at Michigan, RichRod was whittling away at the bad habits and teaching good ones to fit into his system.  The results are starting to show and I hope they  continue on to a National Championship!!!

Oh "the Gospel"

How often are we unable to see past the long two-a-days, defeats, and blowouts to the hope that Christ is doing in us?  When we are having hard times, we love to complain, stomp our feet, and yell at God.  The truth is that in those times God is whittling away our bad habits and teaching us good ones that fit into His system.  Often it doesn’t make sense to us at the time, but how amazing is it when we have that great victory in our life and are able to look back at those hard times and see that was more then just a stinky year?

In Phil 1:6, Paul wrote "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

David wrote in Psalm 23:4,

"Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;"

Isiaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

These are the things we need to remind ourselves and meditate on when things are looking dark and dreary, when there seems to be no hope in the world!

And the best part about the Gospel of Jesus Christ??? The part where this comparison is lost???  As a Michigan fan, I can only dream of a National Championship..it may happen–it may not.

But as a Christian, the final victory is guaranteed!

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" I John 5:4-5

I watched an episode of ER tonight from a few weeks ago. ER was the first hour long drama I really got into. Prior to that I never really had the attention span to sit through anything longer than 30 min on a regular basis–especially if it wasn’t going to make me bust a gut or have lots of guns, cars, or space aliens. Over the years, ER lost me–they recycled too many stories–my wife lost interest firs–she said it was too unrealistic–how did so many things happen to one ER in a span of just a few years–I agreed once a helicopter feel on the same guy twice. Well..with it winding up, I decided to go back and catch the last few episodes and watch it go out. I started with the episode that Clooney returned for. It was primarily about transplants. It had me choked up pretty quick.

You see, my Dad had a transplant when I was about 14. He got a new heart! He was given a 2^nd chance at life–one he probably needed. Honestly, he made good attempts at fixing some things–like our relationship. It took me about 5-6 years of the extra 7 he received to break out of my adolescent attitude towards him–but in the end, we had some good times. I can’t express how much I miss him–but am so grateful to at least have gotten those extra years–something that would not have been possible if some family members of a 21yo who died in a motorcycle accident had not chosen to donate their loved ones organs.

Much like our Savior gave up his life to give all of us a 2^nd chance–we can give others a 2^nd chance by simply checking that box on your license–or in the face of tragedy at the loss of a loved one donating their organs.

Please don’t deny someone like me the opportunity to have a dad a little while longer.

Let me ‘splain’ no there is too much. Let me sum up.

This is a new posting series I am starting that will sum up the happenings at Church @ the River each week.

We started a new series today called Dangerous Church 2. Jeremy and I tried something new this week–co-teaching. It seemed to go pretty well-except my pages of my notes kept sticking together and Jeremy dropped his once-but it’s all good!

We need to be focused on Jesus and what He has called us to do. He has called us to be a Dangerous Church–not a Safe one.

A safe church is one where–

• People don’t follow God’s lead because they are afraid to step on toes
• People fear change more then they fear the taxman
• People steer clear of topics that are the slightest bit controversial

A dangerous church is one where–

• People follow God’s direction–regardless of where it leads or who gets offended
• People are honest about who they are
• People serve –they contribute rather then play the role of a sponge

Remember–each and every one of us–myself included–are regular ordinary idiotas–but by spending time in God’s presence, we can become extraordinary people who change the world!

Please be prayerfully considering being involved in The Rescue if you’d like to learn more please visit www.invisiblechildren.com

Upcoming events for this week–

Wednesday -

Co-ed Life group @ the Klebers 6:30pm (notice location change!)

Refuge @ the River @ the Senecal’s 6:30pm

Thursday -

Co-ed Life group @ the Barkley’s 6:30

Saturday -

Women’s Ministry –Baby Shower for Cari Britt @ the Kleber’s 5pm

Sunday -

Palm Sunday Service 10:00am

Drawn freehand in Paint by Tony Martin

On this joyous night I want to share something that has been on my heart for a while. I think we need to re-examine why it was that Christ joined us and walked among us on this earth. He did not come down to tell us everything that was wrong with us, or what we should be doing differently, or how that we choose to worship Him isn’t the proper way, or to solve all of our problems in the blink of an eye. He came down for one reason and one reason alone…..to love us. That’s it. This really truly should be the Season of Love….and it should be something that lasts all year long. So as the eggnog disappears, the holiday pounds accumulate, and the decorations go back in the attic, let’s focus on loving each other…especially the least of these and those who we beleive don’t deserve it….liberals & conservatives, Democrats & Republicans, gays and straight, liars, theives, murderers, cheaters…

As BIlly Graham said “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge, and it’s our job to love.”

Luke 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[b] are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

1. My wife — how God convinced her I was the one for her was nothing short of a miracle!
2. My son Anthony — A brilliant, sensitive young man who is going to be used by God for great things…
3. My daughter Hannah — A unique young lady who never fails to being a smile to your face
4. My baby girl, Elizabeth — My little southern belle….well southern at least!
5. Church @ the River — Eph 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” comes to mind
6. Refuge @ the River — That the Lord has placed such unique and powerful young men and women in my life and allowed me to be a part of their growth astounds me
7. My In-laws — Never in a million years has a guy been blessed so much by marriage, not just with his wife but her whole family
8. My family up north — I love you all and wish we could be together…just need to convince you all that the South is the Promised Land
9. My friends back in NJ — I miss y’all like a pig misses slop
10. My twitter, YMX, blogosphere, facebook, Xanga friends — It amazes me the bonds that can be formed with simple 1′s and 0′s
11. The 2008 World Champion Phillies!!!! — The wait is over and it is time for the reign of parades to begin….
12. The Flyers — WE GOT NEXT!

Francis Chan brought TRUTH this afternoon to the NYWC. He talked about not holding anything back, making the church unstoppable like the church in Acts. No more of this “They changed the service time? TIme for me to find a new church.” stuff. It’s time we stopped worrying about who we might offend and got back to speaking the Word. It’s time we started being “salty” again…otherwise we are useless. We water things down to increase our numbers and what is the result?? Nothing….

I grew up listening to Harry Kalas call Phils games with Richie Ashburn. Hearing his voice takes be back instantly to my youth….and here is classic Harry…