Update:
I spent Tuesday morning with five other Evangelical Free Church pastors
from the area (Boyceville, Neillsville, Merrillan, Stanley, myself from Fall
Creek, and then one of district staff members from Stevens Point). We had a good time sharing ideas and lessons
learned with one another. We had a nice
lunch together at Altoona Family Restaurant including a couple of extra guys
from the Bridge Church who had been working while we met. It is always helpful to meet with others who
are basically going through the same things so we can be mutually supportive
and encourage one another. It was a bit
confusing because three of us are named Steve and we all sat together. So when someone asked, “Steve, would you like
some coffee?” or other questions, they got three answers. Ha Ha!
I spent the afternoon at my church office preparing to my lesson for
the last day of Sunday School coming up this week. Ironically the topic this Sunday is
Eschatology, which is a fancy word for “Last Things.” So the last thing we will cover this spring
is last things—what will happen at the end of the world as we know it.
I was able to do most of my floor exercises before changing clothes to
pick up my wife to attend the Good News Jail Ministry Banquet for our area on
Tuesday night. I have volunteered for
years doing a weekly bible study in our county jail with this ministry. I really enjoyed the powerful testimonies
from former inmates about the life changing effects of coming to faith in Jesus
Christ. Wow! They certainly are overcomers “by the blood of the Lamb and by the
word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
Recently I’ve had some tenderness
on lower part of my shin bone. I have an
appointment on Wednesday afternoon with my prosthetist. I hope that we can come up with something to
alleviate what I am assuming is my leg pushing against the inside of the
prosthesis in a way that causes me pain.
Thought for the Day:
We’ve had a couple of nice weather days and I’ve been tempted to open
the windows of the house and let the fresh breeze blow through. I look forward to warmer days so I can do
that. It seems a bit stale inside. After
all, the house has been shut up all winter long—it’s time for a breath of fresh
air to blow through!
I’ve recently realized that the house is a good reminder of my
life. For quite some time my life has
been full. Every day filled with
scheduled activities and “must get accomplish” deadlines. I was moving from one
thing to the next, then on to the next. Day in, day out. Week in, week out. My schedule was such that I didn’t have time
to shoehorn one more thing into my life.
In essence, my house was full and the windows were locked. There was no room for the unexpected and the
emergencies. Even if a great opportunity
came by I didn’t have the option of taking it because my life was already
stuffed with a lot of good opportunities.
I didn’t have any margin. No
wiggle room. Everything fit; but there
wasn’t any room to add one more thing to my life. I felt maxed out.
My hospitalization last Thanksgiving changed all of that. Most of my life has been put on hold over the
winter. Since receiving my prosthesis on
March 17, 2014, I’ve been more active and slowly adding things back into my
life. I am thankful for everyone who
stepped forward to take over the “jobs” that I used to do. Many of those things didn’t require that I
specifically had to do them—they just needed being done and over the years, I
acquired them and claimed them as my own (either by choice or by default).
Right now, it is like I am opening the windows of my life to allow a
fresh breeze to blow through. I don’t
want my life to be stale. I certainly
don’t want the rooms of my life so stuffed that I can’t get near the windows to
let in some freshness now and again.
So I’m doing a bit of spring cleaning in my life. What will I keep? What will I donate to someone else? What just
needs to be thrown out? This is causing
me as much pain as trying to decide whether to throw out or keep my favorite
t-shirt despite how ratty the thing looks—it’s comfortable and I hate to lose
it. Two of the things that I love to do
is volunteer in the jail, leading a weekly bible study and then working at our
Wednesday night kids’ program at church.
I’m struggling because I would like to add them back in but they take up
a large block of my time; and I don’t want my life stuffed again. I haven’t decided what to do about those
things yet.
I am seeking to prioritize my life to ensure that I am doing the critical,
important things that either only I can do; or I can do best. I know that God has uniquely gifted me (like
every other believer) to enable me to do certain things in my life for His
glory. He has entrusted these gifts to
me, so I don’t want to squander them by never getting a chance to use them
because I am too busy. Once I’ve put all of the large important back in place,
then I’ll add some optional “nice to do; but not necessary” things back into my
life. This is a tough process to go
through.
One of the things that is an absolute “must have in my life” is time
for God. I’m not talking about Sunday
mornings—that’s a given. He’s got that
time. What I am thinking about is some
daily time to read my bible, to pray and listen for Him. I need time to feed and nourish my soul. Through that process I am restored and I end
up having something worthwhile to share with others. I have found that it is all too easy for me
to squeeze that time out of my life. I’ve
got to protect that time and ensure that I have it and put it to good use. I also need “free time” in my schedule so that
when emergencies arise or special requests come desiring my time and attention—I
have the opportunity to respond to them.
“Today's
Prayer: God, I stay
so busy. There is so much to do...working at home and outside the home,
activities at church and school, taking time to exercise, appointments, family
obligations, invitations to special events...it never ends. In fact, it all
seems to grow larger day by day. Please remind me to take time out. I don't
want to try to do everything and leave you out. I want to start fresh right now
and come to you every day; spend time talking with you, meditating on your Word,
listening to you, praising you and thanking you. Please, God, like a breath of
fresh air, cleanse and clear my heart and mind. Fill me with your presence and
power for living the life you want for me. Thank you, in Jesus' name. Amen.” [Os Hillman, Today God is First
(TGIF), on-line devotional message, May 14, 2014]
It took an amputation to slow me down enough for me to undertake this
kind of spring cleaning in my life. I trust
that it won’t take something so dramatic for you to do the same in your
life. I hope you’ll pull back the
curtains, throw open the windows to let the sun shine in the breeze to blow
through.
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