Creativity

I just finished a little, very little, landscape project. It is so neat to see it completed. As a matter of fact, I hadn't finished it until just a few minutes ago, but this morning at the first signs of light, I was out on the deck looking at it. It looked "very good," and I was pleased with it.

What is it about completing something that gives us satisfaction? Especially when it turns out well. There is a bit of creativity that God built into each one of us. When I was a kid in school, the teacher gave us an art project to do. I could picture in my head so clearly what I wanted it to turn out to be. But, when I got done with it I was so disappointed in the way it turned out. It didn't look anything like I pictured it. I found out then just how little creativity God did put in me.

But, we all have some. I had a devotional read to me the other day while on a hospital visit. It went something like this. "Find the channel of creativity within your soul. No one has been made without it. Be aware that someone you count on will choke it with indifference, despise it with rebellion, ignore it with foolishness or twist it with bitterness. But, know that Jesus stands ready to help any man or woman that who comes to him!" Don't put your hope in the men and women around you. Put your hope in Jesus! Think about it!

Where Have You Been?

Wow! Has it been that long since I wrote on my blog? I guess it has. I've kind of had my mind occupied lately with a lot of things. Since I last wrote, I have been to Haiti and back and now I am seriously considering going back to Peru in a couple of months. Hopefully, somewhere in between I can squeeze in a much needed vacation. We have already put if off once when I went to Haiti.

So what's up with you since I last wrote? Beside going to Haiti, I have fought something in my lungs since we got back. I realized today that it has been six weeks and I am tired of it. Also, since Haiti, I have lost nearly 20 pounds, and that is a good thing. I have preached five sermons, taught at least a dozen Bible studies, been in probably half dozen 6:00 AM prayer times on Friday mornings and what seems like a couple hundred meetings. I am sure there weren't that many meetings, but it sure seems like it sometimes.

I am going to Grandparents Weekend at Taylor University on April 29th-May 1st, to spend the weekend with my first college granddaughter. Grandma and Grandpa Turner and Spickler are traveling together to make this weekend special for Ashley!

I have a 45 year class reunion coming up in June. Just found out today that friends from Florida are coming home that weekend to Winnebago. I have had fun renewing some old high school friendships on Facebook in recent weeks just since the announcement of the class reunion came out. I hope many of them will be able to make it back to Macomb at the end of June for the reunion.

I'm going to call it a day for this blog! Maybe more tomorrow, or next month, which ever works best. Have a great day, and don't stay away so long from here out!

Looking ahead!

We're Off!

In horse racing, the comentator calls when the gates open, "They're off!" It means the race begins. I'm serving notice today that at New Life Bible Church, "We're off!" The writer of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." The race we run in 2010 will be one that will change our lives forever, if we throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

We just finished doing a spiritual inventory as we close out 2009 and begin 2010! In that inventory we all have found our weak points and our strong points. Let's begin to focus on the strong points (perseverance) and throw off the weak points (sin) that hinder our spiritual walk with Jesus!

Jesus is coming back soon! Maybe sooner than any of us give him credit for! Are you ready or are you dabbling around is sin you know you should have no part of? Throw if off and run the race. Think about it!

Last One For 2009!

The way my writing skills have been lately, I had better start a couple of days early to write this last post for 2009! I noticed that when I signed on I hadn't written anything since December 10th. That's okay! Blogs are supposed to be about feelings for the day and I guess I just haven't felt anything since then. What is the shame of it all, my lack of feelings have come right during the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Christmas was great for us this year. Ashley was home from Ireland and we had a great Christmas eve celebration with most of the family. Jason and Marcee were in Canada this year at Macee's mom and dad's. We had met with them and the kids the Sunday before Christmas and got to spend time with them and the kids. The boys are an interesting pair of little boys, now ages 5 & 7, and Anna is growing like a little weed. She is six months or so, not exactly sure, but really at a cute age.

Things at the church have been up and down for a couple of years, but even then mostly up! God has truly blessed us and we have many of the old faithful and many new faces at the same time. I am so blessed by the kids that are a part of our congregation and the joys of watching them grow into the Sonshine jar offering, and then beyond.

So why am I not having the feelings I need to write about? I am not sure. It could be from getting older and all the things that go along with getting older. It could be that the world is in such a mess and people don't seem to think right anymore. It could be that ....

Anyhow, in my last post for 20009, I want to wish you all a happy New Year. My prayer is that 2010 is a blessed year for us all and that Jesus comes back again soon!

Wow, And Again I Say Wow!

Paul told us to "Rejoice and again I say rejoice!" Today I am saying, "Wow, and again I say wow! Yesterday the entire area around us was shut down with a major snow storm. I got into the office for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, mostly to make sure everything (heat and water) were working right, and then regretted that I had come in at all. With the wind blowing like it was, I was fearful that I would not get out of our 600 long foot driveway that was drifting shut. At that time in the afternoon, the front and side doorways were drifted shut with 2 to 3 ft drifts.

When I came in today, I was glad to see that the driveway was plowed and open for traffic. I never thought of the doorways. As I came up the driveway and topped the hill into the parking lot, I was met with the most beautiful sight. Coty was at the front door with his snowblower and had all the entrys cleared and ready for the day. I hadn't even thought about them, but he was here taking care of the need. Wow! What a service to me, (I would have had to dig them out to get into the building.) and what a service to God. I truly appreciate what he did for all of us who will be in and out of the building today.

What can you do to serve God? Something as simple as bring your snowblower to clear the walk ways is a big deal for everyone. Think about it!

What To Do?

I'm sitting here looking at my schedule for the next three weeks. It is about as full as I have ever let it get. That is not good. Too heavy of a schedule makes for too much stress. I am at a point in my life that I don't like stress. On top of a heavy schedule, it seems like there is always those who eagerly add to the load, not meaning anything bad by doing so. It leaves situations where more stress is added to the mix.

This week, to add to the load, we have a major snow storm coming in that could dump as much as 18 inches of snow on us. Thankfully, it is in the middle of the week and not at the end when we have three Christmas dinner/theater productions scheduled, plus dress rehersal on Thursday night. The forecast for the weekend is clear and cold.

Speaking of stress related issues (the snow storm), listen to the schedule of one of the boys in the play this weekend. Thursday night: Basketball game, dress rehersal for the dinner/theater production at church and madatory band concert at school. Friday night dinner/theater at the church. Saturday morning 10:00 AM basketball game, noon dinner/theater production, 4:00 PM basketball game, 6:00 PM dinner/theater production at the church. And I think I have a full schedule in life!

What is your weekly schedule like? Way too busy? I believe we all need to purposely slow things down. We need to not get so totally involved in life that we can't take time to love on God as He wants. Stress is one thing that will slow down our attitude of love toward each other and toward God in a big way! Think about it!