JOY!!!!!!!!

Well, it has been quite a week.  Lot's of goings on.  In other words; Normal.

This last weekend we had Randy & Kathy Keeley from CB Northeast here to share the (very encouraging) results of our church life-cycle survey.  It gave us some very strong encouragement as well as a picture of what areas we need to work on.  This is just the latest in a series of tools and helps that God is using to grow us toward His work.   It was a fun weekend to have Randy & Kathy here.  It was a huge turn out for Sunday morning and a lot of people stayed for lunch!  We had over 200 for the morning service.  Jack will be working next week to increase our parking space since we are having a hard time fitting everyone in the lot.  Now we just need enough in the building fund so we can start on the larger sanctuary!

I was excited to get my work for this coming Sunday done early this week.  Better for both Beth and I as the end of the week would be busy.  I am very excited about the series we will be starting on Sunday as we look at the culture of church and Christianity and whether we are conformed or transformed.  I think many will find this very challenging as we examine why we do what we do as Christians.

The last half of this week has been all about connecting with people and I have only been able to do about half of what I wish I could.  One more big contact with some people today, but the week has been busy with just spending time with people.  Thursday was very busy with me out and about the first half of the day just calling on some people and then directory pictures at church, out with Gavin, youth group, and evening at church helping with the directory work.

***UPDATE*** Wrote everything else above & below Friday night for publication Saturday.  At 2am this morning ended up in the ambulance & emergency room with youngest child.  He is fine, but has the croup which is a really scary thing the first thing you hear it without warning in the middle of the night!   Got home around 5 this morning and went to bed.  Going to be a quiet day today.  But everything I wrote still goes. ***

All this to say, it has been a busy week.

Now here's what I think.
It has been a great week. One of my great joys is to spend time with God's people.  Another one of my great joys is to spend time in the Word, preparing to share God's Word with His people.  I did a lot of both this week.  It is wonderful.  Working here at Bean's Corner is such a joy because there are so many people seeking to know God, grow in Him, and serve Him.  There is joy, fellowship, sharing, leaning.  I connected to people this week who were hurting or having hard times.  I connected to people for whom things are going well.  I have been able to share joy and pain.  I have been able to watch as people grow in their walks with God and their relationships with others.  I have had the privilege of sharing sorrows and heartache and to see how God uses such things to mold others and myself.  It is the pulsing, breathing life of the living church.  Last weekend Randy reminded us that the church is not the building where we meet.  It is us.  And this week I have had the joy of experiencing what it means to be a part of the church and to shepherd it in gentleness and love.  There have been times when that has left me tired, both in body  and in spirit.  The times when you run into that person who won't reconcile, won't be honest, or isn't dealing with things.  That can just wear you down.  It is those moments when I must focus all the more on the fact that GOD does His work and not me.  I am merely a vessel, merely clay.  I will do what I have been asked, keep my heart and spirit open, and allow Him to figure the rest out.   I must constantly lean back onto Him and let His strength keep me open.  That too is joy!  :)

It has also been a great week for another reason.  I spent Monday with my kids.  Sarah and I were able to have some time Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings.  (Phone call Monday night and Trustees Mtg Wednesday, but we found time around those).  Today I expect to be meeting with someone but then the rest of the day will be just for us as a family, getting some things done around the house and just enjoying spending time together before a busy day on Sunday.  It has been nice to be able to have great quality time together.

So, this was a pretty personal blog as I share my heart at the end of a busy week.  Praise God for all He did, all He is doing.  The moments of challenge and discouragement.  The moments of affirmation and encouragement.

"So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'"  (Luke 17:10 NAS)   Great perspective there.  I am an unworthy slave.  To God Be The Glory!!!