Monday, September 17, 2012

Change

Change is in the air.  I could feel it this morning as I walked the dogs.  A little cooler, maybe a little crisper. Oh, we'll still have a couple more warm, maybe even hot, days- but autumn is on the way.

My family, like yours, is experiencing change.  Our kids are getting older- even if we're not!

Our church is certainly in a period of significant change.  The biggest challenge may be the simple fact that the most immediate changes are only stepping stones to even bigger changes.

It's probably not a bad thing for all of us to be reminded that change really isn't a four-letter word!

Brian McLaren offers the following prayer in his book, Naked Spirituality:

All that I'm now going through
Will make me better or bitter,
Break down or breakthrough.
Learning this patience-- it takes so much patience.
It's a great education,
But why is the tuition so high?
Why God, why?

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

USMC

The call came early Monday evening.  I could barely recognize the voice I knew in the voice I was hearing:
This is recruit Conrad calling to inform you that I have arrived safely.  Please do not send any food or packages.  I will be in contact by mail in the next 7-9 days.  Thank you for your support. Click. I wonder what the voice will sound like when I hear it again in thirteen weeks?

Since we first laid eyes on Thomas twenty-three years ago He's become quite a young man.  His Marine Corp packing list included only the clothes he wore, razor and toothbrush (forgot both), and Bible (which he remembered), and $20 (I guess there aren't too many vending machines on Paris Island).  As he undergoes this intense period of preparation and transformation I find myself praying:

  • that the body God has blessed him with will stay safe and strong
  • that the mind God has blessed him with will master knowledge and skills that will serve him for a lifetime (and some, I pray, that he will never have to use) and 
  • that the spirit God has given him will be strengthened by the Spirit that indwells him.


Our son is a Marine. I ask you to pray for him.  I hope you will pray for his parents.