What
am I thankful for the week of November 16-22, 2014?
What am I
thankful for the week of November 16-22, 2014?
I am
thankful for my continued faithfulness to my exercise routine. It has helped me
to gain strength in my right shoulder, which continues to hurt. Of course, as I
age, the flexibility I gain is important. Yoga, crunches, keeping heart rate
up, and Total Gym have been part of my morning routine. I like to get to
Anytime Fitness at least once a week. Suzanne and I saw Mockingjay, Part One.
Steve Scott
wrote Faith Afield, a book that, in
Men of Integrity Magazine, becomes a theme of a Sportsman’s Guide to Godly
Living. I was thankful for the hunting stories this week. The sound of hoof
steps on the leaves, the danger of tree stands, and missing the second clay
bird in shooting practice, were part of the devotions this week. He pointed out
that hunting shows often conclude with a successful hunt, but the hour show is
an edited version of a hunt that may have lasted days or even weeks. He then
drew the analogy that we often look at the result of the life of a Christian,
but do not see the depth of the daily work it has taken to be that admired
Christian.
Sunday was
a busy day, of course, delivering a sermon that was part of the series, Getting
From Sunday to Monday. I was thankful that during Think Orange, the video said
that we want to live out loud by thanking people for what they have meant to
us. This let me to look at the messages in January and February differently.
Suzanne and I went to Youth Small Group. The next day, it was also touching to
have some good some conversation with staff over some new directions.
Throughout the week, I was grateful for the time to prepare January and
February sermons and look at them in light of a new theme, Living Out Loud. I
was thankful for being part of Triple S and its study of John 9 as the Light. I
was thankful to hear one of the members of Triple S share how much it meant to
her to have this study. One even volunteered that this study of John has been
the best she has had a privilege to participate in. Another said that a former
pastor, Al Kundenreich, will be present on Sunday. We were invited to join for
lunch after worship on Sunday. I was so grateful to have the time with one of
our nursing home persons, Ed Kingery. In spite of his debilitating illness, he
maintains a strong and vibrant faith. He was happy to receive his Men of
Integrity magazine and his prayer blanket. It was good to talk with his wife as
well. I also had a meeting with Steve Gwin and Rob McMinn. Several people have
mentioned having a late service on Christmas Eve. Steve is willing to work on
organizing this service. I will be part of it, but it is nice to have another
person work on the music and other pieces of the service. We had a problem with
the furnace, and Wes Looker came to talk about that. Dave Morris came by to talk
about snow removal for this winter. A good meeting with Logansport Cluster
clergy, discussing the mobile food pantry as part of the business. Quite moving
to be part of the choir practice on Thursday night.
I was grateful
for the Logansport Cluster ministering to those in need in our community. We
sponsored a mobile food pantry on Friday.
I was part of the DCOM interview team on Saturday. I am thankful for a process that seeks to honor God in considering people for ministry. Some serious matters to consider. I am thankful for the call of God upon the lives of people.
Here are some of the statements that affected me in my sermon preparation in a way that made me thankful that preaching is part of my calling in life
- Indecision may or may not
be my problem. --Jimmy Buffett.
Remember Yakov Smirnoff? His standup comedy routine was based on his impressions of the United States after fleeing the Soviet Union. One thing that made a big impression on him was the sheer variety of choices in American supermarkets, after the empty shelves of Soviet-era grocery stores. Here's one of his most famous bits:
"On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk -- you just add water, you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice -- you just add water and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, 'What a country!'"
In calling disciples, Jesus
acts relationally, rather than legalistically. His first instruction is not
"Here is how you must live." His first words are, "Follow
me."
Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known. --Garrison Keillor.
The novelist George Meredith wrote, "Who rises from his prayer a better man, his prayer is answered."
For 30 years now, in times of stress and strain, when something has me backed against the wall and I'm ready to do something really stupid with my anger, a sorrowful face appears in my mind and asks ... "Problem or inconvenience?" I think of this as the Wollman Test of Reality. Life is lumpy. And a lump in the oatmeal, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same lump. One should learn the difference. --Robert Fulghum, Uh-Oh (1991), referencing Sigmund Wollman.
God does not create evil; still, He
does not prevent it when it is displayed by others, although He could do so.
But He uses evil, and those who exhibit it, for necessary purposes. For by
means of those in whom there is evil, He bestows honor and approbation on those
who strive for the glory of virtue. Virtue, if unopposed, would not shine out
nor become more glorious by probation. Virtue is not virtue if it be untested
and unexamined - Origen, in Num. Hom. 14.2
Here are some links that I found
helpful as well.
Some thoughts not related to sermons:
If I were President and
thought a law was very bad, I would enforce the law strictly, so that people
would see how bad it is.
A nation of sheep in a world of wolves - Interesting phrase I came across.
No comments:
Post a Comment