Wel, today was the big day of revelation, and in some ways it was very anti-climactic. So much I what was revealed through the personal surveys was already known to me. I thank you that you've brought me thus far along in my peronsal awareness that I seem to truly know who I am.
Lord, I ask that now you help me deal with those issues that trouble me and lead to stress. Help me to trust others more as well as trusting myself more. Help me to be more open to others and to be more deliberate in my spiritual discipline. Above all, help me to be closer to Christ so that I can get out of your way and you can do your work more effectively through me.
God, I thank you for today's learning, and above all, for the small group in which you have placed me. Help me be a blessing to them as they are a blessing to me.
Thanks, God, for a safe trip and a good start to PoE. Thanks as well for Chuck and Ron's companionship along the road. Finally, thanks for releasing the fear from my heart and opening me up to whatever is going to happen. Help me continue this feeling and to receive whatever it is you offer me in this time and through people here.
What a great day it was, God. Worship was great, the music was great, and it was great to have Kathryn and her family with us. I especially thank you for the successful conclusion of our water storage pond project at St. James, and for the generosity of the folks that made it happen.
Thanks as well for the fun of Theatre Kent and all it offers me. Help me to find friendship and joy there, so that I might be renewed and refreshed beyond what happens at church.
Well, apparently I am not part of this world any more. I am extinct. I am no longer here. I have completely disappeared. Look as hard as you like, but you won’t find me anywhere.
Well, OK, it’s only according to a commercial for a hair-colouring product. You see, according to them there are no longer any gray haired men in the world. I guess I’m the only one left. Oh, and there’s the guy next door, too. Come to think of it I saw one or two elsewhere earlier today. In fact, I’m pretty sure that one of the gentlemen at a wedding rehearsal I ran today was not entirely his youthful colour, either.
Darn, I guess it’s not the end of the Grey haired era. There are still more than a few of us in the world. What’s more, at least as far as I’m concerned, and let me make this totally clear:
I DON”T CARE!
Sorry for yelling, but I really don’t mind going grey. I like to complain about it, but I figure it’s par for the course. I’m of a certain age, my hair is of a certain age, and as long as the sun sets in the west, the tides go in and out according to the moon’s pull and God is in charge of everything, many people of a certain age go grey. Not everybody, but enough of us to make it a notable part of reaching and exceeding a certain age.
I don’t understand why so many folks are obsessed with hiding the reality about themselves. It’s not as if hiding one’s grey hair will also remove their spare tire or improve their memory. You might fill in wrinkles, tone up muscles and even hide age spots but everything else gets older. Like gravity it’s not something we can pick and choose, it’s the law. Colour your hair all you like, it’s not going to make you live any longer or, let’s face it, any better.
We are what we are. We are limited creatures. We age. We forget. We make mistakes. Yet for all those limitations, we are also amazingly wonderful beings. We are creative. We are imaginative. We are kind. We are loving. We are, in a nutshell, Godly. Not gods that don’t age, but God-created beings of an eternal goodness that has nothing to do with the number of years we’ve been here or the way we look.
As living, transient beings change is a constant. Sure, we get old, but that doesn’t mean we lose our worth. We can always learn something, or start a new friendship, or build on an old relationship, or simply enjoy who and what we are at any given moment. That’s what matters the most: that we enjoy and indeed celebrate ourselves, our friends, our family, even complete strangers for who and what we are, just as we are, whenever or whenever we are. Even if you’re a little grey, like me.
Thanks, God for a good day at home, and for the presence of our kitchen cabinets and appliances after a long time of disruption in the kitchen. Thanks also for a quiet evening at home.
Lord, thanks for the time with Duane, and our productive conversation. Bless him as he seeks his path at St. James. Thanks also for the time with Lois and our simple date night. Help me to be the best husband I can for her.
Lord, lots of visiting and good work today. Thanks. Thanks for the folks willing to open their homes and hearts to me, and thanks for the stories they share. Help me to be a blessing to them by listening, providing companionship and discerning how to lead St. James in a way that will honour them. Thanks also for the fresh start of the Bible study, and learning that goes on there.
Finally, thanks for Mike and his friendship. Bless him in his ministry at First, and our friendship as we share our highs and lows, and learn from each other what it means to serve you faithfully and authentically.
Lord, it was a bit of a disappointment with the After-School Program today. Shannon is so wonderful, and wonderfully prepared, but we didn't get many kids signing up. It's not the end of the world, but I just pray that Shannon will be blessed with the kids that are going to come, and that their enthusiasm will spread and help the program grow. Thanks for Shannon and her talents; bless her, and bless St. James through her efforts.
A big day today, God, and a pretty good one. It's becoming ever more real that Scott is leaving for another ministry, so I need your help there. Help us, as a Prebytery as well, so that we can make the decisions we need to fill the gaps his leaving creates, and to encourage and build him up as he moves on.
Thanks as well for a good Session meeting. It's a bit of a worry, knowing that so many elders are retiring or ending their terms, but I know that you'll provide the right people in the right numbers to continue leading St. James according to your will.
A long, good day off. No agenda, no work, nothing but time with my family. Thank you, God.
Well, God, it was a good day back to worship. It feels good to be back in my regular spot, and to have the people I love and trust with me. Thanks for all the help I received in the folks that served St. James for August, and for the chance to be refreshed so that I could have a good return.
Bless me as I try my best to continue to build up the church and to be the leader and servant you need me to be.
I have a variety of motorized tools for my woodworking hobby. Having continuously collected them over a number of years, some are newer than others. The new tools are up to date and need only common, modern tools when repairs are needed. Some of the older pieces of equipment are not so easy to work with. Not at all standardized, these machines often require specialized tools in order to repair, and sometimes even to adjust them.
Since I bought most of the hardware fresh from the store, I also own the appropriate tools to service them. One machine, however, I received pre-owned, and without spare parts or tools. Since it’s an older piece of equipment, it’s extremely well built and despite much loving use, it’s in great shape. Unfortunately, a simple belt broke, and my woes started right there.
Being an older machine, it requires specialized tools to fix and adjust. Since I don’t have those tools, the breakdown was something of a challenge. Well, not too much of a challenge. It required a bit of creative work to disassemble the thing, but once done, I made my life simpler for future repairs by changing a key part. Simply put, I exchanged an old thing that required a special tool I don’t own for a new thing that needs a tool that is just about as common as the air we breathe. Problem solved once and for all.
Change in this case was vital. Without that change I would have had to find a very special tool and wasted a lot of time doing so. By substituting the old bit for a new one, I was able to update my machine and ensure that it would both run and be repairable for a long time to come. I didn’t alter the function of the machine. I didn’t alter the way it worked. I didn’t even alter the appearance. I just made one modification of one small part in order to bring it into the modern age.
God has provided for us an ancient technology to serve an ancient problem. The technology, in the form of the 10 Commandments, is universal and pretty easy to use. The problems those commandments address haven’t changed much either. Nevertheless, today’s world is in many ways different from the world of Moses and the Law. We have to adjust accordingly, in the way we teach the Commandments, and in the ways we look at our actions.
Think about some of the things we do nowadays. The way we treat our environment, the way we borrow money, the way we spend our days all place new challenges on the 10 Commandments. Those old laws certainly apply to our new issues; we just have to adjust our thinking in order to understand how. It’s not a major adjustment, mind you. It’s a matter of knowing what God is really saying in His laws, and understanding how our new sins are really just old ones re-expressed. Those ancient, tried and true commandments fit virtually every sin, whether it’s old, new or yet to be invented. All it takes is a slight modification in how we understand things so that those old laws can guide our new way of doing things as God intended.
Thanks for a restful and productive day at home today. Thanks also for this last summer weekend with the family, before the running around and busy-ness of September and the ensuing months.
Lord, as I approach worship tomorrow, I begin to be fully aware of an emptiness in my heart as I come to terms with a friend and supporter having moved away. I know that Julie and her family needed to move for reasons beyond their control, but it's hard to think that she won't be part of worship or my day to day life. Help me move on and to keep the doors open for our new relationship, and help her and Steve and Maia have a wonderful life in Colorado that extends back to her family and friends in Chatham.
Lord, thanks for a good practice last night, and for the folks that lead our worship music. Thanks also for the folks that make the office at St. James tick; bless them all with continued joy and enthusiasm for their work and contribution to the church.
Had a great worship service at Riverside Gardens today, Lord. Thanks for Lillian and her ministry there, and for all the enthusiastic folks that take part in worship. Thank you most of all for the opportunity to minister to them in this simple way. It's not my favourite music style, but to hear the folks sing and respond to the old hymns is a blessing and inspiration. Help me remember that it's not about the music or style of worship, but the mere fact that we gather together to praise and glorify you, and to learn about your will and love for us.
A bit of a blow today, God, having learned that trusted friend and colleague is moving away. It's a hard transition for me, but a good one for Scott. Bless him in his new ministry, and help us continue to build our friendship and keep our families close despite the distance that will separate us all too soon.
Lord, it's back to work time and I'm happy to have returned to the office. It nice to be doing what I love, serving people I enjoy, and worshiping in a familiar, comfortable setting. Help me do what I must, to lead and to learn and to have a heart open to the needs of the folks at St. James, and a mind to adapt and to grow as you need me to.
Lord, as music camp fades into a memory and my 'regular' life returns, I thank you for the blessing of time away, and for the blessing of a return to routine.
