A Wedding, A Stroke, A Funeral...in One Week!

This is the kind of week that makes me think about my life.

After completing a couple's pre-marital counseling, I finalized plans for their big day. It makes me think back to my own special day almost 18 years ago.

Then I dealt with a long-time church member who suffered a stroke. While conscious and seemingly aware of her surroundings, she was unable to communicate in any meaningful way.

And to wrap up the week, another long-time member passed away who had been unable to attend church for years. Her story on this earth is now over, and I wonder if she felt important things were left undone?

These weeks can be pretty emotionally daunting for me. Not just as a pastor, but as a person. And when I think about these situations, I'm reminded of the words of the great Garth Algar:

Do you wish your marriage had the same bliss as those honeymoon days? Stop lamenting how it used to be, and make it better today! Listen more! Love expressively! Stop waiting for him/her to make the first move!

Do you fear a medical condition that could rob you of opportunities with your family? Then treat each moment as a gift, ensuring that if your voice were suddenly gone, your family and friends would have no doubt in regards to your love and thoughts towards them.

Do you worry that death will come with things left undone? Then stop waiting! What keeps getting put off until tomorrow? In the words of that "other Garth", what if tomorrow never comes? Confess your dreams to God, seeking His approval and enabling to accomplish them!

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 (And sort of the Beatles...)

Life is full of seasons. Don't long so much for a summer that may never come, that you fail to enjoy the beauty of winter. Everyday you have a pulse, you have a purpose. So live it now while you can!

Diligence is Worth the Cost

Why do I keep paying for virus protection? 

Once again I've paid for my yearly subscription despite not having a single virus last year. Having been bit by a computer virus in the past, I am very discriminating of what emails or websites I click on. So maybe it's time to just stop wasting that money. After all, no threats were found.

And yet...


I'm not sure I would apply that thinking to:

• Maintaining fire extinguishers in our church
• Keeping a spare tire in my trunk
• Paying my life insurance premium....(OK, funny story here. When I worked in insurance, an executive once said to me that life insurance is a bet: The customer is betting they'll die and we're betting they won't. We want them to live worse than they do!)

We recognize that much of our diligence is to prepare for situations that rarely happen. And yet, we wouldn't want to be caught unprepared in any of them. 

"[Be] praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance..." Ephesians 6:18

Flat tires are sporadic, but temptation is not. It's a reality everyday, and our alertness allows us to see temptation as a spiritual battle to be fought. We won't win them all, but we'll lose a lot less by spiritual diligence.

A Christian who says, "Everything's going pretty good, and I really don't have time to pray and read the Bible", is setting himself up for defeat. The good moments are your opportunity to prepare for the challenging ones we KNOW are right around the corner.

So I'll keep investing in that virus protection. Likewise, be sure you're investing spiritually in moments that are yet to come! God has supplied us with everything we need to stand for righteousness. Take up the challenge of living a diligent Christianity for the glory of God and as a witness to the lost.