Archives for August 2017

HABAKKUK

August 19, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Habakkuk was no stranger to the questions that keep us up at night. He knew what it was to wrestle with God about deep matters of the heart. He was an Old Testament prophet who struggled with many of the same questions we struggle with today.

Why does God seem to allow injustice to take place in the world?
How can it be that those who do evil are blessed while people who try to walk right cannot seem to catch a break?
How long must I cry out before God answers my cries for help?

For the next three three Sundays [Aug 20, 27; Sept 3] we will explore Habakkuk’s questions and more importantly we will wrestle with the response God provides.

It is comforting to know that we are not the first, nor will we be the last to wrestle with such questions.

God is faithful to meet us in the midst of our questions and help us experience peace.

I invite you to join us for worship this Sunday at First Baptist Church, 415 West State Street, Kennett Square PA.

Worship starts at 11:00am

OVERSIGHT

August 18, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com 2 Comments

It happens. It might not happen in “perfect” families but it happens in our family. From time to time we miss a birthday. It is not intentional. Life simply gets busy, the calendar rushes on and all those good intentions go out the window. I have come to call these moments an “oversight”.

Well, we recently had another “oversight”.

A few weeks ago Nancy looked at me in a panic and said, “I missed my mom’s birthday!” Nancy and her mom are very close. Although we live hours apart they are on the phone often and have a very close relationship. I could tell that this “oversight” moment was painful for Nancy. Not wanting to see Nancy in pain I offered to help. “Go call your mom and I will take care of her gift. I will make sure to get her something special.”

A few years ago Judy started to collect metal art in her backyard. I am not exactly sure how she got started. 🙂

I came across this amazing piece the other day and it just screamed, “Take me to Judy’s house.”

So, Judy here is your next piece of art. It is a flower pot and metal art all in one. Who knew this stuff existed.

We will be down for Thanksgiving and I will bring it with me then.

Peacemaking Conference

August 10, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

What is the difference between a Peacemaker and a Peacekeeper?

We all know people who live and move as Peacekeepers. They will do most anything to avoid conflict. Often their actions and decisions do not help bring resolution to the larger problem but simply give the illusion that things are better.

Peacemakers work towards reconciliation in all relationships. Peacemaking is often hard work. The first step towards living as Peacemakers is to be at peace with ourselves, who we are and who we are called to be.

When you look at our world today there is no question we could use more Peacemakers.

Life has a way of pressing in and pressing down upon us.

Stress at work, responsibilities with family, church, or other activities
Relationship “drama”
Walking alongside a friend or loved one in their time of need
The 24-hour news cycle and an almost constant barrage of competing ideas and agendas
Social media, this “great tool” of communication and building community, and its addictive push to check the near constant pings or dings as Facebook updates, Slack messages or emails as they scroll across our laptops, phones and now our watches!

Is it no wonder that there are moments when we want to scream out, “Peace, just a moment of peace … where can I go to find peace?”

If we are lucky enough to carve out that sacred space of quiet for ourselves it does not take long for people to find us and want something from us. Just ask any mom how hard it is to find that quiet time.

What are we to do?

How do we find peace in the midst of chaos?

How can we live and move as Peacemakers in this chaotic world?

Saturday, October 7th First Baptist Church of Kennett Square will be hosting a one day workshop, “SEARCHING FOR PEACE IN A CHAOTIC WORLD,” to explore these questions and more. There will be a wide range of speakers from throughout the community who will be speaking on different topics as they relate to our pursuit of restoring relationships and introducing peace into our world.

I hope you can join us for this exciting day.

For more information about the “Searching for Peace in a Chaotic World” Conference.

Relay for Life 2017

August 7, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

This time last year I was in the middle of my first round of chemotherapy. I had completed seven rounds and had five more to go. Today, I am celebrating six months chemo free!

That would not be possible without the hard work and generous support of many people I will never meet. Thru the years there have been doctors, scientists and many others working to find a cure. My chemotherapy treatment came to exist as research was funded, studies done and improvements made. My family and I cannot express the depth of our appreciation for their hard work and sacrifice.

When I was first diagnosed we talked with my Oncologist about a cure for the type of cancer I have. He said, “There currently is not a cure for what you have. Our goal is to keep you alive using the treatment plan we have as they develop a better one.” It is was an interesting thing to think, and pray, about as I sat through treatment after treatment.

Walking the Relay for Life in 2016 with Bill Miller

When the Relay for Life came around last year I had just been diagnosed. My treatment had just started. Kathy Allaband got me a survivor shirt and got me to walk the survivor lap. I protested a little bit, saying I had just started treatment. She responded by saying, “You are going to beat this.” It was a word of confidence and promise I clung to at some of the darkest moments.

First Baptist Church will be hosting a mini-Relay for Life on August 26th.

Our team, “Prayers for the Journey” is working together to help raise money to continue the fight against cancer. It will be an exciting day and if you are in the area I hope you can join us.

I recognize that there are many people who ask for support for a wide variety of causes these days. We each need to figure out where and how to use the resources God has given us in a wise way. If you feel led I would be honored if you joined our team and help us raise money to find the cure for this terrible disease that strikes so many people. The link below will send you to my Relay for Life page where you can make a donation. Thanks in advance for your help.

To Join Me in Helping Support American Cancer Society

Finding God

August 5, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com Leave a Comment

How does the pastor come up with sermon topics?

Good question. We could spend a lot of time talking about that. Maybe we will someday. For now let me share that the next series at First Baptist has been inspired by a book I have been reading this summer.

“The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by the Revered James Martin, SJ is a practical spiritual guidebook based on the life and teachings of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.” (from google books)

Early on he talks about the many different ways people seek God. If you asked twenty people to share about their spiritual journey you would hear twenty unique, sacred, stories. While each of our stories, or journeys, may be different there are six common pathways that shape our relationship (or lack of) with God. For these two Sundays we will explore these six pathways looking at the benefits and pitfalls of each.

For those on the Pathway of Belief they cannot remember a time when they did not believe in God. Faith has always been an important part of their life and it provides a framework for how they view the world.

People traveling the Path of Independence have made a conscious decision to separate themselves from organized religion yet still believe in God. They may find church boring, irrelevant, or maybe they were hurt by past experiences within the church. While they have walked away from the institution they still pursue a deepening relationship with God.

Traveling the Path of Disbelief individuals have walked away from the church and have come to the conclusion that God may not, does not, or cannot exist. People on this pathway are skilled at detecting hypocrisy amongst those who call themselves followers of Jesus.

The Path of Return is one that many people visit at some time in their lives. Having drifted away from the church, having grown distant in their relationship with God something happens which draws them back. Maybe it is a life crisis (mourning the loss of a loved one) or a time of celebration (the birth of a child), whatever the reason they feel compelled to return and explore church and faith.

Many people have traveled the Path of Exploration. On this path individuals find themselves searching for a religion that “fits” them. They remain open to just about anything and are willing to explore different faiths, denominations and practices; picking and choosing what works for them.

Our last path, the Path of Confusion, is one that finds its way into just about every other pathway at some point in our journey. On this pathway there are times where we feel close to God, at others God seems extremely distant. Faith appears to be a real and vital part of our life one moment…the next we question whether pursuing a deepening relationship with God is worth our effort.

All of these pathways are “normal”. God works through each of them to draw us closer to Him if we continually seek Him.

This series runs August 6, 13. Service starts at 11:00. Hope you can join us.

First Baptist Church of Kennett Square

Life These Days

August 4, 2017 By dnicewonger@gmail.com 3 Comments

Visiting the Art Gallery on vacation

Hello, my name is Dan. Sorry I have not been around lately. There are a number of reasons for my absence.

Health Update

Before I share why I have not been posting as much here is an update on where I stand health wise. Today was my six week oncologist appointment. We reviewed blood work and the results from a scan. My CEA is still within normal range, 1.8! This is fantastic news. You may remember when I first started treatment that it was over 120. My scan results were “unremarkable”. If you talked about most any other area of my life as “unremarkable” I would probably take offense. This is one area where I am willing to let anyone speak of me as “unremarkable.” I was in and out of the Doctor’s room in less than ten minutes. Leaving the room he said, “Boring, simple and routine, these are the kind of appointments you want to have.” There was a smile on his face, very different than the look he shared when we first met. Our plan is to do blood work every six weeks and a scan every three months.

Catching up with family at the game

Nancy and I continue to be humbled and amazed at the blessing of time God has given us. We spent a week away, just the two of us, for the first time in a very long while. It was good to just be together. All the pictures here are from our week away. We planned events strategically to make the most of my limited energy but other than that we rarely thought or talked about my illness. Lest you think we simply abandoned Rayann at home, she was off in Roatan with Live Again Ministries serving the people of Roatan. I am hopeful that one day I will be able to return to Roatan, maybe next summer.

Update complete. So why have we not been plagued by notices of your posts for the past few months? As with much in life it is not a simple question to answer.

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