WINTER STORM WARNING! Is there really a severe storm on the
way? I am not sure … and if there is one
in the works, I am not sure just where it will strike. I’ve not heard any weather forecasts, so I am
rather at a disadvantage. Some people are
hoping for a three-day weekend – but I don’t think that’s slated for here. So for us?
I still do not know, but I will search out some answers, and eventually,
time will reveal what will take place.
We’ll get to experience it live!
It’s kind of like our real lives.
People talk about “what could happen” and they get all freaked out about
the “what ifs” of life – so much so that they miss out on the richness of
spending their lives as if they were a priceless treasure! (Which they truly are!) We spend our split-seconds, our moments, our
minutes. We spend our hours, our weeks,
our months. Soon all that “spending” turns
into years … and as if in a flash, the days in the hourglass of our lives have
just about run out. Where has all that
time gone? Last week I shared a love
story early for Valentine’s Day … this week I want to share a personal story
about the incredible gift that our lives are and that it really does
matter how we “spend” them and invest them in the lives of others! You see, while God gifts us with our very
lives, we are not given the winter storm warning that tells us when our last
day or last breath on this earth will be.
We do not have access to forecasts like that. Last week our second son, Dana, went with
twenty-five or thirty guys on the snowmobiling trip that the company gifts to
their management team annually. They all
headed northward to the upper peninsula of Michigan for a week of fun in the
snow! The first few days there was not
even enough snow to rent snowmobiles, so they rented four-wheelers with the
option to trade them in for the snowmobiles later if the forecast for several
inches of snowfall came true. Well, it did – and soon they were out enjoying
the snow-covered trails! Thursday
afternoon came and it was time to stop for a late lunch at a place in the
wintery woods. The guys strolled in to
hear a question asked of them, “There’s just been an accident on a trail not
too far from here. Was it one of your
guys?” They all shook their heads and
replied, “No! We’ve all been together
all day!” Looking around, they soon
discovered that one of them was missing, but knew he was right on their tail,
so they hung around a few more minutes, waiting for him to pull up and join
them. More minutes passed, and finally
one of the guys said, “I’ll back-track just to make sure,” – and it wasn’t long
before they heard his somber voice on the phone, “You better come; it’s Jay,
and it’s not good!” Jay had missed an “s”
curve and went airborne, hitting a tree.
Now, here they are … rushing back
to Jay and realizing that his life is ebbing away. One of Dana’s employees gave CPR for twenty
minutes – to no avail. At first Jay
could not feel his legs, and soon he said, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!” And then … he was gone. Fifty-four years old, a successful, wealthy
leader in corporate America, happy family man, new grampa … with much of his
future still ahead of him – his life ended suddenly without warning. Our son was crushed. Since joining this company, Dana has talked
with Jay on a near-daily basis as his direct contact. He has been his mentor and coach, and our son
has spoken about how highly he respects this man because of his integrity and
how he lives his life. We did not know
Jay, but felt the impact of such a great loss for his family – and for our
son. He had lived his life full-speed
ahead and impacted people far beyond the scope of his own understanding, I’m
sure. Our son said the afternoon/evening
of the visitation, over two thousand people greeted Jay’s family and shared how
much he had meant to them. Yes, Jay’s
life on this earth is over, but the legacy he left to his family and all who knew
him in his corporate circles will live on.
No forecast, no prediction. A
life well-lived, a death so unexpected.
Only God knew the complete set of dates for Jay: his birthdate and his date of death. It was Jay’s choices in life that made his
fifty-four short years on this earth so full and impacting to so many
others. We get the same choices between
our beginning and ending dates. What
kind of living will we do between the two? Lord, help us “spend” our days wisely, making
You our #1 choice! There is no greater choice we can
make, and making God #1 in our lives will allow us to impact others for His
glory for as long as we live!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
SUN, FEB 10TH:
10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. – KIDZONE
CHURCH
WED, FEB 13TH:
7:00 P.M. – ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE
SAT, FEB 16TH:
5:00 P.M. – “A SWEET NIGHT OUT”
at The Timberlodge & dessert by Hazel
at the church following w/fun fellowship
ELEVATION NORTH SPOTLIGHT!
We invite you to take time out of your mid-week schedule to attend the Ash Wednedsay Service at church at 7:00 p.m. This is a time to focus closely on all that Jesus experienced in the days preceding His complete sacrifice for us on the Cross. Come and honor and worship our Lord; come and sing praises; come and let God's Word change you; come and take heart as you remember all that Jesus has done for us as we partake of Communion. Think of someone you can invite that may not have attended an Ash Wednesday service before so they can experience God's amazing love!
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
