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Daily I am offered advice on how to do things. It seems that many people know how to do my job. It is not uncommon for me to hear all types of advice on how the Church should be run. I have heard it all. There have been suggestions on how to decorate and even what to preach. I suppose one of the reasons I don’t like to go to some meetings is because you just never know what suggestions is going to come forth. If you know me you know that I can always use help and that in many ways I open myself up to new ideas. My mind loves to go down different paths and explore new ways of doing things. I would never want suggestions to stop nor would I want to take them lightly. They have helped and will continue to help me in the future.
However, some suggestions make me wonder what is behind them. Is there a hidden interest behind the idea? Does the person want their own way and is really thinking of nothing but themselves? In other words is it a personal preference that they would like everyone to affirm? I don’t know a person’s heart. Only God does but I am praying that I will take all advice to the One who, I hope and pray, is guiding our church. Of course I am referring to God.
I ask for your prayers as I sort through the many voices that clamor for my attention. May I hear the voice of God above all else.
This past week my spouse, Phyllis, has been gone to
One of the great advantages to be married is the ability to share with each other. I find that those times of sharing very helpful and quite comforting. It is a good feeling to know someone shares a common history.
I find this line of thinking one of the greatest joys of prayer. The older I get one of the great joys of prayer is sharing with someone who knows my history and has been a part of my life since its beginning. The more I walk with God the more I just feel like sharing.
I am looking forward to Phyllis returning home I miss being able to daily speak with her. Today as I reflect on my life I am grateful God is always there to be in dialogue with me.
This past weekend I watched some basketball. After all March madness is here. I always enjoy watching college basketball because you really never know who will win. This year there have already been some surprises. Some top rated teams were beaten by supposedly lesser teams. March madness is a little bit like life itself. One can never totally judge a problem or a task correctly. I know in my own life there have been more than once I have been wrong in my evaluations of what is taking place in my life.
Because of my inability to make correct judgments, I am learning more and more to wait on God. My personality wants to rush in and do something. To not act is extremely difficult for me but waiting on God is not doing anything. It is actively waiting. By this I mean it is praying, seeking God’s will and trusting God to make His way plain.
I guess I write these words today to encourage myself to do more active waiting and less relying on my own. I do thank God that I am getting better at this but I still have a long way to go for perfection in this area.
Last Sunday was a trying day for me personally. I was drinking coffee and socializing in the fellowship hall after the 8:30&8:33 services when Alex approached me and looked pale. He told me he had gotten a phone call from his girl friend who said that her pastor had just been shot during the worship service. I found the news difficult to digest. How and why did it happen? What was behind it all? The questions kept running through my mind and there were no answers. Even today a few days removed from the tragedy there are no real answers.
Even if there were answers my heart would still ache. The pastor’s family must face the reality of death and not just a death but a senseless act of death. The church must face the grief of the loss of a pastor they loved and who loved them. Then there is the trauma of those who witnessed this violent act. Their healing will take time and God’s hand in their lives.
Today I am praying to my heavenly Father and my heart is heavy. Only He can lighten my load. I need to trust in Him and His healing more. Pray with me for all you know who are in trying and painful times.
Below is a picture from Belgium:
Here we are on a train on way back from Amsterdam. You are seeing my grandson and sons. On the left is Markus who lives in Indiana. Behind him is his spouse Stephanie. On the right is Colby who lives in Belgium with Phyllis behind him. In the middle is a cute young man -my grandson Rowan. God has been good to me to allow me such a wonderful family.
Saturday our church had a prayer walk. Several persons showed up and out we all went. I walked a neighborhood near the ninth grade campus. I looked at the homes and indeed prayed that this neighborhood would follow God’s leading in their lives. I also prayed that I might be more interested in the family and their lives rather than ‘trying to get more persons into our church.’
On this prayer walk, I walked with three other persons and I loved hearing them talk about the neighborhood and how they saw it. They saw dogs, children, and houses and even made comments about the houses. Some looked good and others seemed less appealing. However, all knew that God cared for all and all are in need of prayer.
As you read these words, I am asking you to do some praying. Can you join with others in praying for
There will be more prayer walks. You may want to join me and go on the next one.