Ouch

I was less than graceful last night and fell, scraping my hands, knees and badly spraining my right ankle. Today, I am unable to get around very well. I am very limited in my activities and it has gotten me to thinking more about those people that have limited mobility. I chose not to eat last night (not like missing a meal will kill me!) because I simply didn't want to endure the pain that would be involved in standing long enough to fix a meal.

How many seniors or others miss one or meals a day simply because it is either too hard or too painful to fix the meal? I really don't know the answer to that question, but I know that I am motivated to find out those in our community that need this help and to get them that help. No one should go hungry because they simply can't fix a meal.

Pray for those in YOUR community that are having similar problems and then DO SOMETHING to help them!

Hope

We are living in turbulent times. Hope is being promised from everyone from the president to infomercials. The problem is, the hope they promise is not a lasting hope. As Christians, we have a hope that is eternal. Hope that comes from the assurances in God's Word. In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises us a hope and a future. In Romans 15:13 we are told, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." It is the power of the Holy Spirit that will allow us to abound in hope.

So, are you hopeful or hopeless? That answer seems to me to be in whether or not you believe God's Word. Let us believe and have HOPE!

Snow

Wow, yesterday it snowed all day. The good news is that the ground was warm enough that it didn't stick. Kizzy and Calvin really didn't like the white stuff falling from the sky, so yesterday was very interesting. They are going to have to learn to get used to it, because I am fairly sure that there will be much more snow before spring arrives.

It is a lot like us. There are things that we have to deal with "for a season" that we can't avoid. Whether it is an illness, a loss of a job, or something else, there will be things that we can't avoid. How we deal with them says a lot about us and our relationship with God. Do we cry and moan, or do we praise God in the tough times? Mercy Me has a song that talks about this:

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

So, if you are dealing with pain, disappointment or frustration, remember who is in control and praise God and bring on the rain!

Conferences/Retreats

Over the last few weeks I have attended a Rural Ministry Conference at Columbia Theological Seminary and the Indian Summer pastor's retreat. Both were informative and interesting. At the RMC I was able to meet with 11 other men and women who serve rural congregations at various locations as far north as Ontario and as far west as Texas. I found that we all face very similar circumstances.

At the Indian Summer Retreat the focus was on time. As one who focuses more on "chrono" than "kairos" this was a great opportunity to practice "kairos." Kairos is more about the event than the time the event takes. One of the big things I will take from this year's Indian Summer is the necessity for promoting Kairos opportunities for my congregation.

How about you? are you so wrapped up in watching the clock that you miss the bigger opportunities? Let us all determine to allow ourselves the time to be open to the kairos moments that the Lord provides!