REFLECTIONS! The passing of time somehow motivates one to
reflect on yesterdays, today, and yes, even our tomorrows. Within days – a flip of the daily calendar
page will burst into a celebratory tune announcing to me that I am a year
older. I will happily retort back and
say that I am really just one day older!
At the moment I am running an instant replay of our summer months
because they’ve just about filled the DVD of memories – there is only a tiny
bit of blank recording space remaining.
I thought it would be good to take a sneak peek review of what filled
the time on that disc. Sometimes we feel
like we could summarize it all in a few words, such as: we worked, we ate, we slept. That, of course, would not be very
interesting. The truth is that God has
infused an abundance of living into these summer days of ours. Lest I confuse anyone with a mere rattling off
of events and happenings, I am underlining the fact that a thread of God’s love
and faithfulness is stitched in a continuous line through each moment of each
day. We could not have … would not have
wanted to live these days without His blessings and favor and injected
joy! As the last few days of wintery
spring hung on with a vengeance, we were filled with great anticipation of less
hectic, more relaxed days to come, and I remember asking something of God. “Lord, our hearts long for more
ministry. I know we have all these jobs
to help support ourselves, but Lord, just bring more ministry to us. Use us more than ever before!” Asking, I had no idea how God would
answer. Our days were already filled
with work and ministry and keeping connected with our long-distance
families. We would write-in time with
each other and with God, knowing that if we did not purposely commit to those
sacred times they would cease to exist.
And then the most important things in God’s plan for us would become
just a distant memory. And so, we leaped
into the dawning of summer with excitement and expectation! What did God bring to us? More than we could have imagined or hoped
for! Without a clue that it was coming,
suddenly God poured into both of our lives requests for one-on-one counseling,
and we embarked on a rich time of leaning on God for needed wisdom and
discernment. What we had hoped to sow
into the lives of those who came to us, turned around and blessed the socks off
of us. Those times of prayer and study
and research birthed transformations that not only brought godly change in the
lives of those who came, but in our own lives!
We could hardly wait for the next session! Then there was a morning that God placed a distraught
man in front of us. He stated that he
was going to take his life and described exactly how he was going to do
it. Pleading with him to give us a
chance to help, offering him the kind of real hope that comes from a loving
Father in Heaven … we began bringing others on board to help him see that he
did have a future. It has taken all
summer, but tomorrow he will begin living “day one” as a free man –
literally. The beauty of it is that
though he has lived behind locked doors for years now, transformation came the
moment we re-introduced him to the Jesus he had known as a child at the feet of
a godly mother. Suddenly he could see
that God had actually carried him all these years … that God walked him down the
hallway to the place where his destructive plan of suicide was
intercepted. Saved, not just physically,
but spiritually – for eternity! Yes, we
could write a book about the people God has allowed to cross our paths this
summer. We have even been blessed to
open our home to several delightful, precious people who needed a place to stay
– for a night … or a week … or a weekend.
I think God frequently recalls that once upon a time we told Him that
our house was really HIS house, and we wanted to use it and share it for His
purposes. He loves ringing our front
desk and letting us know that someone will be coming to check in. Again, I think we are more blessed than those
who come to stay – because Jesus is always a part of the visit! And summer would not be complete without the
fun visits with our own children and grandchildren – times to cherish and hold
close to our hearts. We pack the hours
with everything we can think of – including those times of infectious laughter,
childhood stories, and the quieter, sitting around moments, and finally tucking
the little ones in with bedtime stories and prayers to Jesus. We speak love and
affirmation into each other’s lives, and love seeing how God is using these
next generations to follow. There is
much to praise our Heavenly Father for as we listen and share our hearts. Stories of divine leading, incredible favor,
special protection – and more, remind us that we are not only family – but we
are a family in Christ, and God continues to be at work in each of us! Reflecting on what God has done this summer
is a powerful springboard that propels us into this next season and year to
come! Struggles – did we have any
struggles? Oh yes, some crazy, super
difficult ones! But that thread of
faithfulness ran right through those dark times to victory – because we refused
to accept and hang on to hurt and anger and defeat. We’ve gotten a glimpse of how God sees our
times … and that’s how we want to live them out! Hey, go get a pen and paper – and start
reflecting on what God has done in you, for you, and through you this
summer!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
THIS SUNDAY, SEP 01:
10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE CHURCH
NEXT SUNDAY, SEP 08:
10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP / COMMUNION
10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE CHURCH
11:30 A.M. - CHURCH LUNCHEON/MEETING to follow service . . .
Invite someone to come and share the morning in church with you ...
they might just find Elevation North to be the church home they have been searching for!
REMEMBER . .
.”And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory,
are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes
from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2
Corinthians 3:18
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
