Posted by Pastor Pat on December 12, 2008
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Ps. 42:1-3
Every believer has gone through periods when they simply do not have the motivation to read their Bible, pray, or even want to attend church.
For those of us in the Midwest we are very much accustomed to the 4 seasons of the year.
Winter is that season of the year where everything lies dormant and appears dead and unyielding. The two bookends to winter’s tenure are the seasons of transitions; fall and spring. Fall leads us into winter and spring leads us out of winter. Summer is somewhat enigmatic. Because of our present schooling year, summer becomes a time of family vacations, cookouts and visitation.
I enjoy the seasons. Each one makes me glad for the other three. In the summer I look forward to winter and in the winter I look forward to the summer. One of the tremendous beauties in our seasons is the changing of the leaves. Many in the Mid-West take time out to run up North for the changing of the colors. Even here in our own communities we find the color of the leaves breathtaking.
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Posted by Pastor Pat on December 11, 2008
Rick Warren, in 1995, wrote, “Surfing is the art of riding waves that God builds. God makes the waves; surfers just ride them. No surfer tries to create waves. If the waves aren’t there, you just don’t surf that day! On the other hand, when surfers see a good wave, they make the most of it, even if that means surfing in the middle of a storm. Only God can create waves – waves of revival, waves of growth, and waves of spiritual receptivity.” (Warren, The Purpose-Driven Church, 13-14).
His observation is insightful and correct. In God’s good providence He has chosen to bring us through many events that, at times, appeared dark and less than favorable. In the midst of our hardships we often lost sight of the larger picture. We were so close to the problem that the various pieces were all fuzzy. God, in His grace, is slowly allowing us to step back and see the bigger picture. Activities that once appeared to be disjointed are now coming into focus. God is choosing to act in our midst. God is creating a wave of opportunity that is going to launch us into this century in a mighty way. It is not something we will be able to explain or take credit for. It will be big enough that only God could have done it and only He will be able to receive glory for it. There are lessons we have learned over the last few years that are invaluable. They are lessons He has wanted us to learn in preparation for this moment.
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