One Person at a Time...

This Sunday at New Life!

I hope you can join us Sunday as we celebrate Mother's Day, Pentecost AND move to our seventh aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit -- Faithfulness!  The morning begins with a "Ladies Day Tea!" at 9:00 a.m. and then moves to worship at 10:00.   We'll emphasize the Holy Spirit's coming to the Apostles on the first Christian Pentecost--the "Birthday" of the Church of Jesus Christ--and we'll see how FAITHFULNESS makes all the difference as we seek to live lives in the power of the Holy Spirit TODAY!  Join us and bring a friend as we praise God, celebrate His love in our lives and share it with one another.

Margin, Margin, Where's the Margin?

I've had goals to get some "margin" in my life regarding time and money for at least a decade.  Both goals have seemed either slightly out of reach or vastly out of reach over the years.  The past several weeks have really consumed whatever margin I had in the time area of life.  I was just starting to "get ahead" in planning life and ministry when Nancy's surgery altered our schedule drastically starting on Friday evening, April 12.  If I had, indeed, succeeded at building margin in the area of time, the trip to the emergency room, and ensuing five-day hospitalization and then 4-6 week recovery for Nancy would have "bit" into the margin, but not erased it.  Since, the margin was so slim, the actual result has been to "barely keep my head above water," when it comes to time and life management.  Thanks, to a great deal of help from folks both inside and outside of New Life, we ate well for the first couple of weeks after Nancy's surgery and we certainly felt loved and encouraged.  Messages got completed, although one not until a couple days before Sunday, rather than the two-three weeks ahead of time that is my long-term goal.  The rest of the tasks necessary for carrying out ministry have been completed in much the same manner--at the last minute.  Those non-mandatory tasks in my life and ministry got put to the back burner.  Blogging is one of those "tasks."  I hesitate to call blogging a task, because I truly enjoy it, and yet like so many important matters in life, it doesn't "scream" at me if I ignore it.  This entry is hopefully a sign that margin is coming back into my life, and that some semblance of "normalcy" is returning.  My goal is to post regularly -- daily being the real goal -- and to offer readers ongoing information that can help lead to transformation in your lives.  Thanks for the prayers for Nancy and our family over this "bumpy" section of road in the journey called life.  Keep them coming!  Here's to margin in all our lives that will start with Jesus and His Kingdom first, and everything else falling into place behind it...

A New Perspective...

Once of the interesting insights I've gained over the past week and a half in my role as "Mr. Mom," is how differently a mother sees things as a matter of course, than a dad.  Let me give you a couple of examples.  The other night I was about to eat the last couple brownies from the pan, when I realized, "If I eat these brownies, there won't be any dessert for Emmy's lunch tomorrow."  I put the pan away.  Then it occurred to me:  I wonder how many brownies, pieces of pie, and other goodies Nancy has left in the pan or plate over the years, so that we would have them for our lunch or snack?  Being a mom, means making sacrifices--small and large--that being a dad doesn't necessarily entail.  Although after this process is over, I'm thinking I'll never look at the last brownie as a special treat for me again, unless I'm sure there's something else for the next day's lunch!

Another example of a mother's perspective is how much advanced planning is necessary to keep things running smoothly at home.  I'm not just talking about making sure that someone's available to drive to the piano lesson, doctor's appointment or whatever, but coordinating when to do laundry so that the clothes are dry when someone is home to hang them up as they come out of the dryer, or when to start dinner so that it'll be ready when everyone's available to eat, and many other things that I usually don't consider at all. 

I realize that many mom's juggle all this and a job outside of the home.  I also realize how much most of them must wish their husbands understood what I've been learning over the past week and a half.  Another realization for me is that such things will never be INTUITIVE for most of us men, but we can LEARN them.  This new perspective has given me a fresh appreciation for Nancy, and my goal is to remember it into the future, both so I can continue that appreciation as well as make an effort to let this new perspective be an ongoing blessing in our family!

Whew!

The last few weeks have been challenging!  From the car "dying," to Nancy's unexpected surgery, to Nancy's Mom having surgery yesterday, to me becoming "Mr. Mom" for the last week and a half, while attempting to keep up with all that's going on at New Life and putting together another Fruit of the Spirit "booklet", I haven't had any trouble being tired at the end of each day.  As we've been working through the Back to Basics series, "The Fruit of the Spirit" at New Life, REAL LIFE has driven home the point to me that each aspect of the fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control must be GIVEN to us by the Spirit.  We can't "conjure" them up, or teach ourselves these traits.   Sure, we can give it the "old college try," and seek to develop them on our own, but these last few weeks in particular have found me crying out to God over and over again:  Fill me! Fill me! I need more of You!

He has.  He has filled me with His Spirit.  The fruit has grown in adversity--more so than in the easy times.  As I have seen so many times in my life, when the challenges are overwhelming, God supplies the say through if not a way out.  God has supplied Himself in our lives, AND God has used His people to supply tangible blessings in our lives.  Since last Thursday, a different family has provided our evening meal each day, and that has been a true blessing.  It's one less thing to think about and do, and it has allowed Nancy to rest easier. It's difficult for her to be the one who is served, since she is so used to serving.  But we know that unless she takes care of herself her recovery will be even longer.  So, she is learning to be served, and Emmy and I are learning just how much Nancy serves us in our family, because we're doing all the things she usually does. 

Thanks, again to each of you who has been praying, sending cards, providing meals and encouraging us!

Thanks for the Prayers!

Thanks to everyone who has been and continues to pray for Nancy!  Her surgery went well yesterday, and although last night was a little rough she's doing "okay."  Bill Hybels often says that there's nothing like the local church when she's working well.  You all have demonstrated how true that statement is!  We appreciate all you prayers, e-mails, words of encouragment and providing meals for us in the days ahead as Nancy recovers from her surgery.  The doctors tell us that she won't be permitted to do much for two weeks and that full recover is anticipated in six weeks.  We're trusting God to shorten that time, and thanking God for all He provides!

Back on Line.....

Hopefully, I AM back online again for good.  TypePad and I have been experiencing some technical difficulties with my account and it was suspended once again, while that was resolved.  One of the strangest things about TypePad is that I found no way to actually speak with a human being.  They have a help "ticket" approach to resolution, which is sort of "e-mail tag."  They send you a correspondence and you "respond."  Then you wait for them to "respond," which can take a day or two, and if the situation isn't resolved, the game starts again.  I've played more enjoyable games in my life, but now all is well once again, and starting today, I hope to be back to regular posts!

Faith Sharing Course for Everyone!

I want you to remind you ALL of a great opportunity that’s coming up soon for each of us to become more effective at sharing our faith in Jesus with others. The Steve Wingfield Evangelistic Outreach is training counselors for the Festival that’s coming June 13-15. That training is open to ALL of us.  The trainings are going to be offered at various times and places over the next couple of weeks.  The first one is this Friday (April 11) from 6-10 p.m. at Park United Presbyterian Church in Zelionople.  Then the next one will be Saturday (April 12) at

Westminster

 Presbyterian Church in

Butler

from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.. Next will be the closest one for many of us:  Sunday (April 13) at Zion United Methodist in Sarver from 1:30-5:30 p.m.

If you can’t make those dates, the same “Sharing Your Faith Course” is scheduled the following weeks on the same days and times at different churches:  Friday, April 18 at Chippewa Evangelical Free Church; Saturday, April 19 at the YWCA in

Butler

; and Sunday, April 20, at the

Holy

Trinity

Lutheran

Church

in

Chicora

,

PA.

I urge you to carve out the 4 hours for the training as increasing our effectiveness in sharing our faith with others may make the difference ETERNALLY for friends, neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and even strangers!  The purpose statement for the course is:  The purpose of the Sharing Your Faith Course is to train counselors for the festival and to equip believers for personal evangelism.  Jesus told us that when the Holy Spirit empowers us, we are to be HIS WITNESSES, near, far and everywhere in between. This course offers us the opportunity to become more effective witnesses to His glory!

I’m going to be attending the course at Zion Methodist this Sunday. If you are planning to attend ANY of the courses, would you please send me a comment and let me know? Have a great week!

This Sunday at New Life!

You'll want to join us for sure this Sunday as we continue the Back to Basics series:  The Fruit of the Spirit!  This week's focus is JOY!  What's the difference between joy and happiness?  Is it really possible to have joy in ALL circumstances?  Come and find out!  We'll also celebrate the sacrament of the Lord's Supper together.  I hope you'll be there!

Fruit of the Spirit Series Underway!

This past Sunday marked the start of our most recent "Back to Basics" series. This one's titled "The Fruit of the Spirit."  The nine message series will focus on each of the aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit defined by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  We got of to a good start with a focus on LOVE.  The Scripture focus was John 15:5-14.  The key point for the day is that LOVE is not a feeling but an action, and that LOVE=OBEDIENCE when it comes to God.

I want to make a quick point about that last "equation."   LOVE=OBEDIENCE.  When it comes to God who IS love, our love for Him is demonstrated by our willingness to do what He says.  In the end the same is true of love in ALL relationships where there is mutual love.   When a husband and wife love each other, or when parents love their children then LOVE=OBEDIENCE is a good maxim as well.  HOWEVER, when one of the members of a relationship is ABUSIVE LOVE does NOT equal OBEDIENCE.  I realize there are those who think that a Christian wife must ALWAYS obey her husband, or that Christian children must ALWAYS obey their parents.  I am not one of them.  In abusive relationships the one being abused must NOT always obey, and to do so is not loving. It can be dangerous and even life-threatening to do so. 

As we go through the series, those of you who are attending are WELCOME to send me questions or thoughts through comments to blog entries I'll be posting!

Back on Line.....

If you check my blog regularly, you know that I haven't made any posts recently.  The main reason for that is my account was SUSPENDED.  Sounds ominous doesn't it?  What happened was with the moving of our pastor of administration, a change of address was required for our church mailing address, so the monthly billing was declined, since the billing address no longer matched with TypePad's records.  Anyway, after a series of e-mails back and forth over the past week or so, the situation hasn't been totally resolved, but they have "unsuspended" (I didn't know that was a word!) my account during the process of resolution.  I'll be posting several items over the next couple of days to get caught up!