Our Anniversary (December 31, 2020)

 

Our Anniversary

Wow! 32 years of marriage!  Another year has come and gone.  No one could have foreseen this year.  But through it all I am so glad you have been by my side.  You are my best friend.  You are my partner in ministry.  You are the love of my life.  I can’t imagine life without you. 

I thank God for you each and every day.  During this season of life I have discovered that I love you more than I ever have before.  The years just get better and our relationship just gets stronger and deeper.  Happy Anniversary baby!  I love you with all my heart!

What are you longing for? (October 7, 2020)

 

What are you longing for?

October 7, 2020

 

1 Peter 2:1-3, ESV

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

I love to do things for my family.  During this time of COVID-19 my schedule in the office has changed to Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office and Monday and Wednesday working from home.  One of the blessings of this time has been on those days that I am working from home I am able to make Stephanie lunch and see her for a few minutes during the middle of the day. I have really enjoyed that special time with her.

Monday, I started off the day working early.  I got up early studied, read and prayed for a while.  Then, I ran to the grocery story early on a mission.  I have wanted to make she-crab soup.  I love it. I also wanted to make Stephanie a little cheeseburger with fresh avocado sliced on top.  I know this combo might seem strange for many, but it just sounded good to me.  So, I got the stuff I needed and then at 11:30 I started cooking.  I like for it to smell good when she walks in for her few minutes for lunch.  The lunch was a success and she enjoyed it.

That might seem to be a strange combination to you, but I longed for it.  I really wanted it?  What do you long for?  What do you really want?

In the above verses the Bible tells us as a follower of Christ we are to put away some things;  “malice,” “deceit,” “hypocrisy,” “envy,” “and all slander.”  At the same time we are to long for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God.  The steady diet of the Bible helps us to grow up into a mature follower of Christ.  The more time we invest in the Bible, the more we want to invest in the Bible, and we grow in our relationship with Christ.

 

 

 

The Benediction

 

The Benediction

Typically, as Baptist we call the final prayer in worship “The Benediction.”  In the truest since a benediction is a blessing. 

At the very beginning of worship today, I want you to know my prayer for you as we conclude worship today.

It is found in the little book of Jude.  The book only has 25 verses.  In the last two verses contains one of the most beautiful benedictions in all scripture.

 

Jude 24-25

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

 

As a minister of the gospel, I thankfully pray these words today, to the only one who can accomplish them, in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.

 

Be careful little mouths what you say

 

 

“Be careful little mouths what you say”

 

Stephanie used to sing a little song with our children when they were younger and one of the verses said, “Be careful little mouths what you say, for the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little mouths what you say.”

What a great word from a children’s chorus.  As a follower of Christ we need to be careful how we use our words.  With our words we can encourage and build up or we can destroy and tear down.

So as the holidays approach and we are spending time with our family and friends, let’s be careful with our speech.  Let’s use these days to encourage and build up others.

The other option is found in a quote I came across this week by Ambrose Bierce.  He was a journalist, short story writer who lived from 1842-1914.  He said, “Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”

Colossians 4:6 says it this way:

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know      how you ought to answer each person” (ESV).

The Joy of Giving

 

The joy in giving

 

At Christmas time we give people we love gifts.  This week many of us will be exchanging gifts with family and friends. There is great joy and power in giving.

 

I came across a quote (unknown in its origin) that says, “Anyone that says money does not create happiness has not given enough away.”

 

Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:38 (ESV)

 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

We always get so much more than we give, when giving.

 

Merry Christma!

 

 

Being Still at Christmas

 

Being still at Christmas

Psalm 46:10

 

During the busyness of these days of Christmas season I have been trying to intentionally stop, sit in my chair and for a few moments at the beginning of the day to just be still and quiet.

This is a great challenge for me.  My mind is always racing in different directions of things I need to do, so I am easily distracted.

Psalm 46:10 was a wonderful promise for me today.  The Psalmist says, “Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Regardless of our circumstances as people of faith we can rest in the assurance of things are settled.  The God of creation, the God of salvation has everything under control.  One day he will be recognized as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Listen to the message of hope that was in our Bible study last Sunday. 

 

Luke 1:30-33, ESV

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

During these challenging days I want to encourage you to be still, to take time to listen to the voice of God who comforts us with things that are eternally settled.

 

 

The Birthday of a King

 

The Birthday of a King

 

 

Luke 2: 8-14, ESV

 

“8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

 

14 Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”

 

This week we celebrate the birthday of our king.  A king like no other, one whose reign will never end.  A king who was born in the most humble of circumstances so we experience forgiveness of sin, abundant life in this life, and eternity with our King.  Oh what a Savior!

Merry Christmas!

 

Missions during COVID-19

 

Missions in COVID-19

 

This year has presented a challenge for most of us when it comes to missions.  As a church most all of our organized efforts for face to face outreach have been halted.  So, how can you and I been involved in Missions in the midst of COVID-19?

Missions is simply giving ourselves away to a lost and dying world.  So at the heart of missions is giving.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…”

I came across a quote (unknown in its origin) this week that says, “Anyone that says money does not create happiness has not given enough away.”

There are a lot of ways to give that have nothing to do with money.

There is great joy in giving of ourselves as a believer

 

In Luke 6:38 (ESV)

 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

When you give from a heart of love

We are always given so much more than we give.

 

So during this season and during this unique time we can give of ourselves:

Through Prayer

Through giving from our financial resources

Through writing notes and cards

Through making a phone call

Through a gift

Through a kind word

 

This Christmas let us look for ways to give like we have never given before, and more than just money.

“Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  (Luke 6: 38)

 

The heart of missions is giving.  Giving of ourselves

When you give from a heart of love

We are always given so much more than we give.

 

 

 

 

Investing in the Bible

 

Investing in the Bible

 

 

George Mueller was a director of a series of orphanages in Bristol England in the 19^th century.  During his life it is said that he read through the Bible more than 200 times, half of those times on his knees.  People greatly used by God have one thing in common always, they are people who invest their life in the Bible and prayer.

 

Joshua 1:8 tell us the value of investing in the Bible in our life.

 

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8, ESV).

 

These days of challenge for our families and community is a great time to increase our investment in the Bible.  This week as you pray for your church family, community, nation, and world, I urge you to invest more time in scripture

 

 

 

1 Peter 2:1-10 "Reflect on our Identity"

 

1 Peter 2:1-10

Reflect on our Identity

 

I wish that everyone has a Stephanie in their life.  I am so grateful for her.  She will always be totally honest with me.  She will hold me accountable and not let me off the hook easy. She encourages me to be the very best Bill Wright I can be.

I was on the way to preach in a revival while serving with CMBA.  Stephanie was going with me on this service.  I was planning to preach from 1 Peter and so I asked her, “Honey do you remember in Aiken when we went through 1 Peter paragraph by paragraph on Wednesday nights?  How long did we study 1 Peter?  She said, “I think it was about 5 years.”  I said, Stephanie is only 5 chapters I know we did not spend 5 years in the book.  She said, “It felt like it.”

Everyone needs a Stephanie in your life.  Someone who loves you enough to always tell you the truth. 

The Theme of 1 Peter 1:3 – 2:10:  Those who have put their trust in Christ are to praise him for his promised salvation and to live out that salvation in our daily lives.

Who are we as followers of Christ?

We long for the word like a new born baby longs for milk (vv.1-3)

The Bible tells us we are to put away some things:

Malice- means to want to cause injury, pain, or distress to someone.

Deceit – means trying to trick someone, trying to get someone to accept as true something that is false.

Hypocrisy – actors would wear a mask for a different character in a play, play acting, behavior that contradicts what we claim to believe, or feel, or be.

Envy – jealousy about what someone else has with a desire to have it ourselves.

Slander- saying false things about someone in order to damage their reputation

Desire the Bible that will help us to grow spiritually

Baby begins by drinking milk and eventually is able to eat solid food.

Like our puppy Chance he started with his puppy and now he has learned that what we eat is better, so he wants that.  He is growing and hungry. 

When we read the Bible, when we have the Bible read to us.  When we learn the Bible by memory.  We want more of the Bible.  The more of the Bible we get the more we want. 

I became a Christian when I was 10 years old.  I am 58 now.  I want the scripture more now than ever.

The more I read and study the more I want.

Just like you eat healthy food to help you grow up physically, the Bible is spiritual food to help us to grow spiritually.  Develop a habit of reading the Bible early.  It will help you mature spiritually.

If you have indeed tasted that the Lord is good (v.3)

Some scholars believe that Peter was meditating on Psalm 34:8 when writing these words.

We have tasted and experienced for ourselves the goodness of God, because of that we hunger for his word and to know him better, to walk closer with him, to obey him

 

We are living stones (vv.4-8)

Jesus is the living stone (v.4)

Jesus was rejected and persecuted.  As his followers we will be also.

We are living stones as followers of Christ,

We are being built up into a spiritual house

We are a holy priesthood

Our lives, our love, our service to Christ is a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus (v.5).

Jesus is the cornerstone (vv.6-8)

Our faith in Christ the cornerstone means we will not be put to shame

Those who reject Christ he is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense

They stumble because they reject and disobey the Word.

But we are living stones, a holy priesthood, being built up into a spiritual house.

We are God’s people (vv.9-10)

Once

·        Once we were not a people

·        Once we were far from God

·        Once we were walking in spiritual darkness

·        Once we had not received mercy

 

But now

·        We have received mercy

·        We are a chosen race

·        We are a royal priesthood

·        We are a holy nation

·        We are a people of his own possession

 

 

Now our purpose

We are called to proclaim the Excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

·        Proclaim his mercy, grace his love

·        Proclaim how he transformed our life

·        Proclaim his desire for all to come to the Father through his wonderful sacrifice on the cross

 

Listen to verses 11-12 in closing

We are aliens, strangers in this world, this world is not our home.

We are to live a life that demonstrates the power of the gospel to a lost and dying world.

That is who we are church

·        A chosen race

·        A royal priesthood

·        A holy nation

·        A people of his own possession

 

 

Children's sermon for Thomas Sumter (October 7, 2020)

 

1 Peter 2:2

Growing in our faith

 

I love babies, don’t you?  I have two grown sons, I love them so much.  I have two grandsons, they are so sweet.  I have a little tiny baby puppy at our home, his name is Chance.

He has literally stolen my heart.  He is so cute and sweet.  He was barely old enough to be away from his Momma when we got him.  We were thinking we might have to feed him a bottle.  But, my wife worked with him and he has a good appetite and he is growing and maturing.  He is doing great.

He has learned that our food is better than his little puppy food.  So being the spoiler that I am I will give him a little bit of what I am eating.   The other morning I had cream of wheat.  He was sitting beside our other puppy watching each spoonful I would eat.  I put a little on my finger and gave it to him.  He loved it.  He is growing and hungry.

You guys are growing and maturing too.  All the learning and activity you do each day makes you hungry.  You need healthy food so you will grow up strong.

Same is true spiritually.  The Bible is our source of strength as a Christian.  As we read the Bible or have the Bible taught to us we grow each day.

The Bible tells us we are to put away some things:

Malice- means to want to cause injury, pain, or distress to someone.

Deceit – means trying to trick someone, trying to get someone to accept as true something that is false.

Hypocrisy – actors would wear a mask for a different character in a play, play acting, behavior that contradicts what we claim to believe, or feel, or be.

Envy – jealousy about what someone else has with a desire to have it ourselves.

Slander- saying false things about someone in order to damage their reputation.

Desire the Bible that will help us to grow spiritually

Baby begins by drinking milk and eventually is able to eat solid food.

Like our puppy Chance he started with his puppy food and now he has learned that what we eat is better, so he wants that.  He is growing and hungry. 

When we read the Bible, when we have the Bible read to us.  When we learn the Bible by memory.  We want more of the Bible.  The more of the Bible we get the more we want. 

I became a Christian when I was 10 years old.  I am 58 now.  I want the scripture more now than ever.

The more I read and study the more I want.

Just like you eat healthy food to help you grow up physically, the Bible is spiritual food to help us to grow spiritually.  Develop a habit of reading the Bible early in your life.  It will help you mature spiritually.

What are you longing for?

 

What are you longing for?

 

1 Peter 2:1-3, ESV

“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

I love to do things for my family.  During this time of COVID-19 my schedule in the office has changed to Tuesdays and Thursdays in the office and Monday and Wednesday working from home.  One of the blessings of this time has been on those days that I am working from home I am able to make Stephanie lunch and see her for a few minutes during the middle of the day. I have really enjoyed that special time with her.

Monday, I started off the day working early.  I got up early studied, read and prayed for a while.  Then, I ran to the grocery story early on a mission.  I have wanted to make she-crab soup.  I love it. I also wanted to make Stephanie a little cheeseburger with fresh avocado sliced on top.  I know this combo might seem strange for many, but it just sounded good to me.  So, I got the stuff I needed and then at 11:30 I started cooking.  I like for it to smell good when she walks in for her few minutes for lunch.  The lunch was a success and she enjoyed it.

That might seem to be a strange combination to you, but I longed for it.  I really wanted it?  What do you long for?  What do you really want?

In the above verses the Bible tells us as a follower of Christ we are to put away some things;  “malice,” “deceit,” “hypocrisy,” “envy,” “and all slander.”  At the same time we are to long for the pure spiritual milk of the word of God.  The steady diet of the Bible helps us to grow up into a mature follower of Christ.  The more time we invest in the Bible, the more we want to invest in the Bible, and we grow in our relationship with Christ.

 

 

It is no longer I who live

It is no longer I who live

 

This morning I woke up with my sinus giving me a fit.  I am almost embarrassed to say it, compared to what most of us have been dealing with in the last few months.  I have more pressing things and more important things I am struggling with myself, but today this little problem slowed me to a crawl.

When the weather changes from cool to hot and rain to not, my sinuses act up.  I feel like my body is moving in slow motion and I am unable to think clearly.

The morning guy was struggling this morning.  As I started to read my Bible I focused on Galatians 2:20:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. “

Then a BFO (Brilliant Flash of the Obvious) hit me, dead people do not fight.  Dead people do not push and struggle. In Christ today, I am no longer living.  The life I now live is Christ living through me, sinuses and all. 

So, I started asking the right questions this morning?  What are you up today in my life?  What is it that you are slowing me down so that I will not miss?  What is it that you are slowing me down to avoid? 

Lord, help me today, to not resist your guidance and direction.  Help me to not miss what you are wanting to show me and do in me today.  Thank you Lord, for today cloudy thoughts and all!

 

  

Search me O God and Know my Heart

 

(Psalm 139: 1-10, 23-24 ESV)

 

Search me O God and Know my Heart

 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
² You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
³ You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
⁵ You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

⁷ Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.

 

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
²⁴ And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!

 

Our God has all knowledge and power. He is never caught off-guard or with his resources limited.  He knows everything about us.  He literally knows more about us than we do about ourselves.  This week we can rest in a relationship with this type of God.  As we pray for our community, church family, our nation, and world I urge you to pause in prayer and ask if He would reveal anything and anyway your life and heart needs to be adjusted to please him?

 

 

Lifting our eyes above the circumstances

 

 

 

This morning I wanted to disconnect from the world of information that bombards me by the minute and just for one moment take my eyes of the circumstances we are living through currently.

My mind went to the Old Testament passage of Isaiah 6 that we studied just a few weeks ago in Sunday School.  It is one of my favorite passages.  In the midst of that larger passage is this verse that brought me comfort today.

“And one called to another and said:  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3, ESV).

In the midst of the pain and struggles of this life, we can move forward each day knowing that our God reigns and is seated upon his throne in heaven.

As you pray this week for the needs of your family, your community and your nation, I urge you to lift your eyes above the circumstances and gaze at our King.

 

 

 

Plenty to worry about

“Plenty to worry about”

 

In recent days I have been bombarded with reasons to worry and be filled with anxiety.  It seems to be everywhere I look.  What I am learning is the more I look to our God and the less I focus on the sources of anxiety, worry, and stress the better. 

If you are like me you may from time to time feel helpless to make changes in the circumstances you find yourself.

I was reminded of a quote this week from Benjamin Franklin.  This statement was made on June 28, 1787 to the delegates of deadlocked Constitutional Convention.  He said:

“The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: ‘That God governs in the affairs of men.’  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”

Jesus said in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.  But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.  Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows” (ESV).

 

As you prepare for worship and pray for our church family, community, nation, and world, I urge you to thank Jesus for his wonderful love and care.

 

In Christ,

 

Bill

 

 

It is a choice

It is a choice

I was reading Psalm 69 in my devotion time this morning. The background of the Psalm is one of a faithful Israelite suffering for wrongs he has done, but at the same time attackers taking advantage of the situation and piling on his suffering and making it worse.

In the midst of this lengthy Psalm are these words that jumped off the page to me.  “I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30, ESV).

Praise and thanksgiving are a choice.  I can make that choice in the midst of whatever struggles I find myself in, even in the midst of a pandemic.

Today, I urge you to choose praise and thanksgiving.  Praise our God with Song.  Magnify his glorious name and character with thanksgiving.

It is a choice!

Meditation on Scripture

Stephanie challenged our Sunday School class to meditate on Romans 12:12. The verse says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (ESV).

If you think about it, that is a powerful verse for our current situation.  We hear it and see it in the eyes of some we meet, no sense of hope.  You and I as believers have the promise of Jesus that because he was victorious over hell, death, and the grave we are victorious also.  He has already won the victory.  So, no matter what the circumstance we find ourselves in we can “rejoice in hope.”

Then we are to “be patient in tribulation.”  We can be patient during tribulation because our God is sovereign.  He is in charge.  Also, we can be patient in tribulation because we know it will not last forever.  This time of not being able to meet publicly and to worship and fellowship together will not last forever. 

Finally, we need to “be constant in prayer.”  Now more than ever we need to be praying.  We need to be praying for our nation, our community, those in leadership in government, our church and those in leadership in the church.  We need to pray for God’s wisdom for those who are in positions of authority and must make decisions that impact our lives.

So, this week as we pray for and think about the needs in our community, our church family, I want to urge you to take my wife’s challenge and focus on this verse in Romans.

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12;12, ESV).

A Friend

I have heard it said that a “friend is someone who has seen us at our worst and still loves us.”

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15, ESV).

I love people.  I am enjoying building friendships and being friends with people.  None of us are perfect.  We have our shortcomings and our quirks.  We have good days and bad days.  We feel great and then not so much.  We are happy and sad at times. I have often said as a minister that I am in the people business.  I love to make friends and I love to be a good friend with those who give me that privilege.

Our God knows everything about us.  He has seen us at our best and our worst.  He knows our very thoughts.  Yet he still loves us. Jesus calls us his friends!

This week as you go about your life and serving in your community, I would like to encourage you to take time to reflect on your relationship with Christ. If you are a follower of Christ,  you are his friend. How does that truth impact how you live this week?

My biggest hinderance is not time, but motivation and value

My biggest hinderance is not time, but motivation and value.

My grandmother, Eula Gordon used to say, “You make time for what is important to you.”

During this season of life, I have discovered the truth of this statement.

I have a list of things I have told myself I would do if I just had time.  Well, once I got set up to work from home, I cut an hour of travel out of my day as a bare minimum plus all the other distractions of working in an office.  I found out quickly that these projects were not getting done.  The list of all the things I wanted to get done if I had time where not being accomplished. 

So, the issue was not time but motivation and the value I placed on that given task.  The truth is that most of those things are just not that important to me, I just don’t value them that much, they might even bore me.  So even working from home during a pandemic I find myself not getting those things accomplished.

This holds true in relationships as well.  People who are not willing to invest in your friendship because of time, will find other things to fill the time if the relationship is not of great value to them. 

This can be hurtful to realize at a time like this, but the reality is that people who refused to invest in you before will find other things of more value than you during this time of isolation or crisis.  I have noticed that behavior of people does not really change.  

People who will not return a call, a text or even answer the phone during “normal times” will operate the same during the midst of a pandemic.

The issue is not time it is value.  The relationship is just not of great value.  Now is a good time to evaluate relationships.  Who are the people who are most important to you?  Who are the people that you seem to always do all the giving and never receive anything in return?  Who are the people that encourage and inspire you?  

I have made up my mind that I am going to spend this time focusing on those in my life that mean the most to me and that I am of value to them.

Because Granny was right, “You make time for what is important to you.”

Learning from Social Distancing

Learning from Social Distancing

I have been focusing on some things to think about and learn from during this time of social distancing.

I am learning, thinking about, and focusing on the following things during these days:

What I can live without?

What is important to me?

The people who are important to me?

Enjoying the beauty in simple things each day.

The importance of rest and exercise.

Discovering the importance of stillness, quiet and solitude.

Think about those things I do not want to add back when this is all over?

Focusing on these things have increased my peace during these days of such uncertainty and challenge.

What I am learning about quiet?

The last bit of time has been challenging to me.  I am a people person and this whole world of social distancing and lack of meaningful interaction with others has been hard.  At first, I fought against it, then I began to realize I could resist whatever the Lord is trying to do for my good during all this or I could cooperate with the Holy Spirit.

For the last few days, I have been thinking about what this time of separation or even isolation from others is beginning to teach me. This is a work in progress, so this list is neither ranked by importance or exhaustive as a list.  It is just simply where I am right now.

So, what am I learning so far:

Quiet and solitude are good things

Like most of us my days are filled with activity. I am on the go and always doing something.  My day starts early and is usually long.  It is filled with travel, study, writing, reading, prayer, planning, meetings, ministry, administration and the list keeps going.

During all that activity there is usually a background of noise.  The noise can be anything from voice of a person, the sound of music, the noise of traffic.  Maybe when I have the opportunity for quiet and solitude, I pick up my phone and start to look at social media or turn on a television to watch some sporting event or western.

What is missing is quiet, stillness, solitude.  Then I fall in the bed and get up and do it all over again.  No wonder I become spiritually anemic and fail to hear the voice of God.  These days I have been still more than usual and quiet.  I have been listening.  I have been in tune with what is going on around me. 

The result has been a sense of peace during uncertainty.  I have heard spiritual lessons from simple things like flowers and taking a walk, or just sitting quietly and listening.  Just being still for a few moments.  Not trying to fight against that moment, not trying to fill it with noise or even activity.  Just listening!  It has been so good for me.