Something Don’d on Me! (name)

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By anyother name would smell as sweet.” – William Shakespeare

What REALLY is important about a name? It’s how we find things these days via Siri or Google Maps. But some of the names you’ll find on a map are very interesting! Did you know that there is a place called Mexico, Indiana? Yes…that’s the name of the town! Did you know you can go to Jupiter? Yep, it’s a town in Florida! And you can visit Paris…in Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Maine, and Kentucky!! In our own Land of Enchantment, you can visit Candy Kitchen, NM…and 85 miles later, you can stop in at Pie Town, NM.
 
There are some other peculiar names of town/city/provinces in our Great America! One day, I hope to visit Bugtussle, Kentucky and Gas, Kansas! Minnesota boasts a town called Nimrod, and Oregon has a community near Mount Hood called ZigZag. (In its defense, the river is named that…so the town just adopted the name…but it’s still funny!) As you travel through the U.S., you might find yourself in Difficult, Tennessee or Satan’s Kingdom, Vermont or even Hell, Michigan! There’s even a town in Louisiana called Uneedus…with a sister community nearby called Weneedu!
 
I’m always fascinated at HOW some of these places get their names! Here in NM, you may know of Truth or Consequences-and that it officially changed its name from “Hot Springs” in 1950 after a challenge from the Radio show of the same name.  The challenge was that the Radio Show would host the show from any place that would change their name to that of the show. The town agreed…and now we have T or C, NM! In our neighbor state of Texas, you KNOW how they named some of their towns! They just named what they saw! Just over the border we have Brownfield, Littlefield, Levelland…and EARTH! (I believe our own Glenn Johnson hails from near there!)
 
Moses has an encounter with God and he is trying to find a way out of what God has asked him to do. He is a bit overwhelmed at the idea of going before Pharoah, so he asks God, “Whom shall I say is sending me?” God’s response is simple…and yet very complex: “Tell them ‘I AM’ sends you.” I’ve always been fascinated by this answer: I AM. God doesn’t say “I was the God of your ancestors”, even though He actually is! He doesn’t say “I am the God of the future”, even though Yahweh clearly IS that. He speaks in the PRESENT tense! He is the GOD of your life RIGHT NOW!
 
“I know I’m not…but I know I AM.” That’s a line from a song you’re going to start hearing this week. It will be the theme song for our next series called BRICK BY BRICK: Rebuilding The Ruins of Life. We will be examining the life of Ezra and how the Temple was rebuilt after the Exile. The song – “Brick By Brick” – has that line in it. “I know I’m not…”-every day, I realize I AM NOT. I am not enough. I am not perfect. I am not in control. I am not the answer. But “I KNOW I AM.” I know the One that IS enough! I know the One that IS perfect… and He IS perfecting ME! I know the One that IS in control! I know the One that IS the answer and KNOWS the answer for what I am facing! KNOWING “I AM” IS KNOWING WHAT MATTERS!
 
I pray that you will JOIN us this weekend and for the next six weeks as we delve into a very LITTLE used book, but one of GREAT power! The story of Ezra is exciting, intriguing…and VERY applicable to us today! We have Saturday service at 6:30 and Sunday morning at 10:30…and we hope to have even more very soon! We have SPACE for you! We WANT you there! If you can’t make it…please join us online! Let’s see how they rebuilt the temple, how we can rebuild our world…and let’s see that HIS NAME is the Name above all names! May we ALL sing, “I know I’m not…but I know I AM!”
 
SHALOM-Peace Unto Your Household!
Don