This week I will say goodbye to yet another friend in ministry. His ministry context is changing and, as a result, he has been called to move far away to start the next chapter of his God-calling.
Do you smell that? It smells like the roasting of a delicious turkey, stuffing gently placed on the table, the holidays beginning to permeate the air. All the while your marriage is thrown into a jolt of chaos because routine has been obliterated. From mandatory holiday parties to staying up late so that you can get that green bean casserole done for tomorrow’s event. The holidays have a unique way of taking mild-mannered people and converting them to sleep-deprived zombies that could co-star on the set of The Walking Dead.
We as a church have been very intentional about showing you exactly how to handle these situations, but the one thing that we haven’t talked about is the root of it all. The root of all of this is one thing, and it is something we all have: FEAR.
When I think about how often people fail at something it usually goes back to one thought – they didn’t have enough support. They didn’t have a team, they didn’t have a group of people to stand beside them when the struggle of life becomes too much.
Well, this week marks the second full year of blogging. I am always so surprised when I think about it because the time has really gone quite fast.
When Karen and I were younger we had a name for thinking about all the things that could happen. We called them the “what if” statements. I’m sure you played that game before.
The next four blogs will be centered on the sermon series at Centerville UMC. You can watch all the replays here and join us for church on Sunday at 9 or 11am. The series is called Separated and it is about all the things that make us feel separated from God.
This weekend as an organization we revisited our vision, mission, and strategic objectives. We talked about where God was calling us to and where we need to see some improvement.
Do you know what prompted the most reaction to the sermon?
I just finished receiving my one-year review at Centerville United Methodist Church. As a church, we have a Board of Servant Leaders, and one of its primary functions is to evaluate the Lead Pastor. As we journeyed through the process, one part of the experience that surprised me was the self-evaluation.
Do we ever spend enough time evaluating ourselves?
Last week I posted a picture on my Facebook and Instagram accounts that revealed my amazing victory over clutter. I was finally, after nine long months, able to get both cars in the garage.