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I am getting ready to leave on a vacation in a couple of days. I am going to Michigan to see my uncle and aunt and to visit some of Phyllis’ friends. I must confess that there are all too many times I really don’t count my blessings. My wife wants to spend time with me and I enjoy her company. That is wonderful! In fact she is a wonderful mate. Great news! I have two wonderful children who married exceptional women. They are making it on their own and doing much better than I was at their age. Can it get any better? I am going to visit friends. I have people that want to see me and be with me and they don’t have to do that thing. I pastor a church with many wonderful people who are so kind and loving to me and my family. Wow! It can get better and it does! What bothers me about all of this is that there are all too many times I look at what I don’t have and want more and forget what blessings I already have. I am going to ask God today to open my eyes to the many blessings that are right under my nose all the time. I am blessed in so many ways I really can’t count them all.
Sometimes I feel totally inadequate for the tasks I am called upon to do. I find myself in a profession that is ever changing. To make matters more difficult it seems at times that everybody has a suggestion on how I should be doing my job. As these many thoughts run through my mind, I am reminded again that each day I must lean heavily upon God and His guidance. If God is not in lead then all I do is really a wasted effort. I am so thankful for the fact that I do have someone to help me manage my life and my life’s work. I may not understand all I am called on to do but I do know that I must put follow the One who wants to lead us all.
Today my wife and I went for a bike ride. It was a beautiful day to be outside and we enjoyed the ride very much. Being out in creation is a wonderful experience for me. There is something about just seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching creation that is holy. I find myself at such times just wanting to praise God for all He has given me in this beautiful world. That bike ride also cleared my mind and let me come at some thoughts in a new and more meaningful way. I hope that I can get outside more in the days ahead. It does me wonders.
Today is turning into a good day for me. I have gotten my haircut and already made several good connection with people. I have completed several projects that have been hanging over my head. I still have more to do. But I feel a sense of accomplishment already. Strange how a day goes isn’t it? They can have all sorts of little things that can make or break us. I am more a moody person than my wife and I am learning from her to not get sucked into the many little things that happen. It can be a good day if I get nothing done. I have the power within myself to delight in this day or be unhappy with it. I jsut don’t always tap into that Power.
I had a busy weekend. I went to a live play in Breeze on Friday night and then a musical evening on Saturday night. Sunday we had company both after church and then in the evening too. Monday found me tired with many things to do to ’catch up’ from the weekend. I don’t like being tired because when I am feeling exhausted I loose perspective on life. It is when I am not rested that I fall prey to some real ‘strange’ thinking. Life does not always look good to me at such times. Knowing this has helped me to know that there are times I just need to rest and be refreshed. I have always loved the creation story. In it God rested on the seventh day. So, today I am taking the afternoon off and going to practice my guitar and just rest. Tomorrow will be a better day because of my resting.
I just got back from a leadership training event. One of the insights the leader of this event mentioned was prayer walking. He thought by walking in our communities God can give us new eyes to see our familiar surroundings. When I look around O’Fallon I really don’t see it like I should. I tend to see only those I know and am comfortable being around. Sometimes I get so busy I really don’t look at all. I am hoping to get out of my office more and more and into the mission field that is all around me. I am asking God for new eyes to see those people that cross my path each day.
Today as I was taking my dog, Pablo, for a walk I thought about how much change the church has seen in my lifetime. When I trained for ministry, ministers stood behind a pulpit and preached. Music was pretty much an organ with a piano helping out from time to time. People coming to church were dressed in their ‘Sunday best.’ In my hometown most of the stores were closed on Sunday and it never occured to me that church worship would be at any other time other than Sunday morning after Sunday School. Change is here to stay even in the church. I am attempting to learn new ways to minister and to be faithful to the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. It is so easy to think that tradition (how it has been done before) needs to be carried on and it vital to the mission. Tradition is important but it is not the message. The message does not change but how it is presented and what language is used to present it does and in fact must change to speak to a changing world. I struggle with this fact. Some days I want to retreat and just keep things the same as always. It seems to take less energy and thinking. But I know in my heart that God calls us to struggle and it is in struggling that we grow.
Sunday I played basketball in our church’s tournament. I had a great time. The team I was on did very well but not because of me. We had a tall player who was extremely good. I found out that my chief contribution to the team was making sure John (the tall one) got the ball. I enjoyed the physical exercise but more than that I loved seeing so many of our Church family having a good time. Sunday I learned that our church can have a Church service in the