Yup, here we are. It is 2008 whether you are ready for it or not. In fact did you realize that there are only 354 more days until Christmas? You’re lucky because you get an extra day in February this year. Of course, the bad news that comes with that is we have a presidential election campaign to endure for the next ten months. It could be worse. We could live in a country where we don’t have a choice. So smile!
Hopefully we can all get back to a somewhat normal schedule now, but that won’t happen for us this week. John, Sherilyn and I will be up at Leoni Meadows for Pastor’s Meetings most of this week. Sandy will be back in the office. We have fantastic elders to deal with your pastoral needs and we can always be reached with messages and emails. In an emergency any or all of us can get back down here and we certainly want to be aware if there are any special needs.
Next week our daughter and her husband will be with us for five glorious days. We can hardly wait to see them again and we’ll even have a bit of Christmas all over. It would be even better if we had all of the kids and grandkids together, but those opportunities are hard to come by these days.
Our primary goal for the coming year is to move the church forward through the Shared Vision to Mission. Pr. John is going to be leading this process, and it is important for you to understand that this is a process and not a program. The main difference in that is you. This is a process where you as a church determine how best we can take our stated vision, mission, and values, as stated on the back of your bulletin each week, and put that into action steps that will bring it all to the community. It is not enough for us to print it, read it, and even memorize it. We need to be living it and taking it to the street. I am so thankful for Pr. John’s experience and expertise in this area. God can do great things in us and through us if we let Him.
Just looking at my calendar for 2008 already I can tell that this is going to be another busy year. I keep thinking that it must be just about time for me to slow down a little, but it doesn’t seem to be happening. I guess the truth is that most of it I choose to pile on. There are a few items that get put on by the conference or the church, but the majority of appointments are ones that I have chosen to say, “Yes,” to. Will I ever learn? Probably not. Of course, the truth is that I do enjoy being busy...most of the time.
I know one thing that we have got to do this year that we didn’t manage to do once last year is to get the Holy Rollers rolling a few times. Let’s not let that happen again!
Is it just me, or is it hard for you to believe also that we are actually into 2008 already? Wasn’t it just yesterday that we were all wondering about Y2K? I am truly hoping that we, as a church, can take some mighty, faith filled steps this year. Part of that hope lies in the Shared Vision to Mission process, but some of it lies in upgrades, renewals, and improvements to our church facility. Take a look around folks. There are so many areas that do not look like a church with an eye to the future. We have to find a way to think ahead and plan ahead and it certainly is going to take a commitment of faith and finances. I don’t think we need to be afraid of that. If we all do what we truly can we can get it all done and be financially responsible as a church and as individuals. I am going to be asking church leadership to look at our options, come up with some serious plans, and then call the church together in business session and let’s do some of the things that we need to do to make this facility work for us today and tomorrow. I certainly don’t want to push you faster or further than you want to go, but there are simply some aspects of our church plant that are just not acceptable any longer. This is the year to start something going.
So now, tell me, how are your New Year’s resolutions going? Don’t have any? It’s not too late. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that if you do something that contradicts a resolution that all is lost. We don’t operate that way with our salvation do we? I hope you don’t or we’d all be lost. I have worked with literally thousands of people who were trying to quit smoking. I would constantly tell them, “If you break down and smoke a cigarette, don’t think that you have to give up. You may have lost a battle, but you haven’t lost the war until you give up.” The same is true for you if you have resolved to lose weight, (I picked that one because I have made that resolution) or read the Bible through, or whatever might be on your mind. Resolutions are not meaningless. We need to make them every day. Paul said, “I die daily,” which says to me that he had to renew his mind, or his resolution, every day. You can be the person you want to be. Just be willing to work through any setbacks that come in your way. The same thing applies to us as a church. We can be and we can do anything we prayerfully set our hearts and minds to. And that is exactly what I want for you.
Well, we’re off and running for 2008. Keep the pastoral staff in your prayers as we travel and meet together this week. While you’re at it, pray for sunshine so I can at least ride up and back. Yeah, I know, some of you will deliberately pray for just enough bad weather to keep me in the car instead of on the bike. We’ll let God decide, OK?
I pray that this year will bring you much joy and God’s rich blessings. I pray you will have good health and that you will prosper in every way. I’ve been around long enough to know that not everyone will have these things without some sadness and pain, but I pray that we may be able to hold your ropes through the trials.
