Pastor Chris' Blog

Socks and Dishes

    Almost nine years ago, My wife Sara-Anne and i got Married.  We had a beautiful wedding.  We were surrounded by all our friends and family.  But looking back on it we probably had some expectaions that probably were not very realistic.  She might have thought I was Prince Charming.  I definetely thought she was a Princess.  And during that first year of marriage we probably had some funny expecations.  She might have thought that I would always put my socks where they are supposed to go.  I probably thought I wasn't going to have to cook all that much and would never have to wash the dishes.  Well, nine years later we have moved on.  We understand that neither one of us is perfect.  She has largely accepted that I don't always put my socks away and I have accepted that washing dishes IS my job. 

This Sunday will be my Fourth sunday and I have begun to think about expectations.  I want you to have a good idea of what you can expect of me.  And so i have a list.

1. you can expect me to visit

2. You can expect me to go the Nursing Homes and Hospital

3. You expect me to be available to you

4. You can expect me to support and help you become more effective in your areas of service

5. You can expect me to take care of things in a timely manner

6. You can expect me to be an effective Preacher

7. You can expect me to want to know you

So these are my seven things you can expect of me in addition to the socks and the dishes.  Please let me know what I can expect of you as we serve Jesus and Saxapahaw together 

Pastor Chris

Top Ten Top Tens

Ok, I'm Back. I finally have got my Internet sorted out(which took a long time and was a ordeal). As you may have noticed, my wife uploaded some posts while I was unable to including her Mommy list. So I am thinking maybe I will do some lists myself.

So from the home office in Saxapahaw, North Carolina, below is my top ten list of pastor/guy lists.

10. Top ten war movies(John Wayne is in seven) 

9. Top ten Theologians or Philosophers 

8. Top ten amusement park rides

7. Top ten funniest things ever to happen to me at church

6. Top ten strangest excuses not to serve

5. Top ten uses for discarded sermon notes(Paper airplanes and origami are definitely on the list)

4. Top ten ways to communicate "This sermon is way too long" without speaking 

3. Top ten superhero movies

2. Top ten list of most interesting people

1.  Top ten Reasons to Become a Christian(The only top 10 worth reading)

Pastor Chris

From Sara-Anne

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting, since we still do not have internet at our house.  Chris wanted me to let you all know that he's been busy this week settling in, learning the area, preparing sermons and getting to know what a wonderful group of people the Lord has brought us to.

I wanted to share with you some thoughts on what's been going on in my head lately...primarily about being a mom (so dad's excuse me for a min...but I think some of this might apply to you as well)

Being a mom is so much fun! In the midst of the daily grind, it's easy to forget that. Not only is it fun, but an hour spent devoted to enjoying your children is an investment that will impact the future generations. When I take time to play with my kids, I win their hearts and I build memories that they will cherish forever. I made out this top 10 list a year ago. This is just to put things in perspective and to help us moms remember the really fun parts of raising children.

Top 10 most fun parts of being mom

10. You have unlimited access to toys.

9. You have someone whose almost always ready and willing to cuddle.

8. You get to learn the highly sophisticated language of cries. For example there's the typical "I need to drift off to sleep cry" and there's the "I'm outraged and I'm about to clobber this other kid over the head with a fire truck" cry. It's a fascinating field of study!

7.You can stick with the kiddie rides at the amusement park and nobody will think you're a wimp.

6.You can buy a family pass to the amusement park and ride roller coasters all summer long!

5. Your kids won't think you're rude if you stuff your mouth full of gum and blow humongous bubbles. While grown ups would smirk in astonishment, kids will laugh hysterically and beg for more when the bubble pops all over your face.

4.In the event that your kid gets stuck, you get to climb the play equipment at McDonald's to rescue them

3. A little bit of knowledge goes a long way in impressing your kids. For example, if you can make a doll diaper out of a paper towel, you're the smartest mom in the world!

2. If you can make cupcakes in an ice cream cone, you are a culinary genius.

1. You can spend an entire day playing, coloring, reading books or building forts, and it is a wise investment of your time.

See, how lucky we are...let me encourage you to take a few moments out of our crazy days and spend some time enjoying your kids.  You will find that it will energize you and you will not worry about the mountain of clothes on the bed or the caked on food that is stuck to the kitchen table. 

Have a great weekend, Chris will be back on line next week. 

Sorry for being out of touch

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to let you all know that we have moved and are trying to get settled....in that process we are without Internet so updating is much more complicated. 

I did want to let everyone know how much I enjoyed Sunday morning.  Our family is so excited about what the Lord is going to do in us and through us.  It was such a joy to see Ashley married and to see all of our church family working together to make her wedding special. 

I wanted to give you the link to Sara-Anne's blog as well.  It's primarily for her photography, but often she posts morsels of what the Lord is showing her...I especially like it when she tells stories about me and the kids.  So check her out www.sara-annephotography.com/blog 

The kids seem to be adjusting well to their new home and school and we are so thankful for the many ways God has worked everything out. 

Please join us tonight as we begin our study into the book of Corinthians.  As always, I'm always here for you and want you to know how much I appreciate you.

In Him
Pastor Chris

"Foundations of an Effective Congregation" Message Series

Hello, I just wanted to introduce to you my message Series.

 

On Sunday we will start a series on what it means to be an effective church.  The Church is the only Institution that has been created specifically for those not members of it.  It is a vehicle designed to promote a Christ-Centered lifestyle that impacts it's community and functions like a family.  For the next several weeks we will be studying the church in our Sunday Morning Worship Service.  This series will focus on seven foundational themes of an effective church. 

 

This is an opportunity for us as a congregation to focus on each other as we consider what it means to be part of a vibrant church family.  It is also an opportunity for us to encourage our friends and family to come a join us as we explore what God intends us to do and be as a congregation. 

 

I look forward to getting to know you and hearing from you. 

 

Pastor Chris

Moving is Not Fun

I'm sorry I haven't written in so long.  We have been frantically packing and I haven't had an opportunity to do anything but try to get ready for the big move.  My roommate from seminary came over Saturday and we took eight truckloads of stuff to the dump.  We are doing the same thing today.  We will probably take three to five more loads of stuff to the dump and then on Thursday the Goodwill people are coming in their truck to pick up three or four more loads of stuff. 

My Aunt Janet and Uncle Tom(who used to live in Burlington) came up Monday to help us pack.  My Aunt Janet and Uncle Tom have been married for Fifty Years.  In that fifty years they have moved probably twenty or twenty five times.  I would lose my mind If I had to move that often.  My Dad brought the children back today.  They have been at my parents house for the last five days so we could pack.

So presumably, Friday we will moving to Graham.  My first Sunday pastoring in Saxapahaw will be October the 5th.  I am excited about getting started.    

Again, I'm sorry that I haven't been diligent in writing.  In the next couple of days I plan to share with you about our Sunday Morning and Wednesday Night Message Series.  I am also planning on writing some of my thoughts about what we might be able to expect from each other in these first days.

My new e-mail address is chris.caudle@mcbcnc.org.  Please let me know what you are thinking as we take these first steps together.      

Pastor Chris