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Last night we returned home after being gone to visit my sons and their families in Europe. It was a great time but today as I sit as my desk I am glad to be home. I know that I have much to catch up on but I rejoice in all that God has given me. I have a warm home and food to eat and do not have any major family problems. Life is good and yet in the midst of this goodness there are always struggles.
I am wondering about the ministry and outreach of the church. I am wondering about my leadership and what more I need to do to a better follower of Jesus. As I see it struggling is not bad and many times needed for growth. At times, however, I wish I didn’t need so much growth.
Well, I must try to get some work done today. Bob the tech person at the church is going to show me how to put pictures on this blog. I hope soon to have some on the blog to show of our trip to visit my sons.
I am sitting at my desk on Martin Luther King day thinking of everything I have to do to get ready to leave tomorrow morning. I am going to visit with my son and his family. They live in Belgium and I will be gone for about eight days. As I sit here I am thankful for our country and the wonderful freedoms and benefits we have here. I know that when I go to Europe many of the things I take for granted will not be available to me. Today I am thankful to Dr. King for pointing out to me that I need to love all people regardless of race, social standing, or even alternative life styles. Today is a day for reflecting on how we treat people even now. I pray that the dream Dr. King talked about will indeed come true someday here and now. Even more, I pray that I will be true to the words of Jesus to ‘love one another.’
Enough preaching. I am not a traveler by nature but I leave to see my son. My love for him and his family moves me to travel. I will miss O’Fallon and yet enjoy my time with family. Pray for me as I travel that I will be a good representative of God’s kingdom. When I get back I want to start putting pictures on this blog and I hope I have some of Belgium to share.
I am reading an interesting book entitled; So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore. The title is a bit misleading but the content is thought provoking. The book is fiction and really deals with the thought that the Church (capital C) can be and often is than the church (small C). The Church is the body of Christ on earth. What most call the Church is really the organized church that usually meets in a building and offers many programs to its members. But the Church is really not a building at all. It is those who are following Jesus. Too often I forget the Church is not a building or programs. It is those who are actively responding to the call of Jesus to follow Him. The ministry of the Church occurs whenever those who are following Jesus follow Him and do His will in daily living. I needed to read this book to be reminded that the Church of Jesus Christ is alive and vital in our world in many ways daily.
This has been one of those weeks. Nothing seems to be going right. I have gone through the motions of work but my heart has not been in it totally. Part of my problem is that I have not been sleepy good and I have started getting a cold. Another part of my problem is that I am recovering from the holidays. I have a let down feeling because my holidays were so good. There are times I wish I wasn’t so emotional but that is the way I am made. I am hoping to get some good sleep tonight and get a better perspective on life from needed rest. I am also going to spend time talking with God and let God minister His love to my being. I also know that ‘this too will pass.’ Life has both the good and the not so good. In fact one of my favorite Bible verses is ‘for everything there is a season.’ I need to think more on that thought.
Writing this on New Year’s Day is a testimony that I sometimes work on holidays. But more than that, it gives me time to reflect on the New Year. I hardly ever make New Years resolutions. But I love the idea that there is a New Year ahead of me. Somehow it feels like the slate is clean and I can start over. One of the reasons I love being a disciple of Jesus is that He has given me more than a New Year but a new life. There are many times in my life when I know that I have failed to be my best. Yet, Jesus comes to me and forgives me and lets me try again. I love that feature of discipleship. Being forgiven is wonderful and most refreshing. It has helped me grow in God’s grace over and over again.