January 20 – “Memories and challenges”

We had a surprise visit from some friends yesterday.  They also happen to be our insurance agents, but that part of the relationship is incidental.  We know them from back in our basketball days when I coached their son and he was the team’s official scorekeeper.  Since we can’t leave Mom by herself, they brought over a hamburger for everybody, and we sat around the table and talked.  We did some reminiscing about basketball, talked about old mutual friends we have each seen lately, and even recalled some of the Seaside Easter Sunrise Services they have been to. 

I have worked my way down to 1998 on our old VHS video file, transferring them to DVDs.  That’s been a real walk down memory lane.  I haven’t even started the basketball ones yet.  They fill up three boxes.  But I have really enjoyed hearing and seeing things like Josh’s first sermon and Nathan doing a mime performance and Kel hoarding his presents on Christmas morning. 

This week has been a full one as far as preparations for Sunday is concerned.  I extended the pastor’s class History of Christianity study to include another century.  The sermon was a big time-consumer this week.  It is the culmination of the actual teaching part of a series from the third chapter of Nehemiah.  The theme has been Getting to Work.  This week is about the specific places around the walls of Jerusalem where work had to be done.  They will each be connected to the areas of ministry that the church can choose to be involved with in this coming year.  I tried to make it as creative as possible, but whether it keeps people on their toes (or at least awake) remains to be seen, I guess.  We have dinner on the grounds after church, and then we have another meeting of the minds regarding the health and future of Seaside.  A core of ten or so people have come together to commit to doing another reboot of the ministry.  Offerings and attendance have been at their winter lows.  We have done most of the cutting that we can do on programming and operations, so the next step is to cut back my compensation.  Maybe I can get a job over at WalMart.  Of course that will mean I won’t be able to wear all the hats around the church that I do, like cleaning bathrooms and sweeping and mopping and making Sams runs.  And someone else might have to be the one to connect with visitors and be a part of community events.  My prayer is that the people will see it all as a challenge to get to work (hence the sermon series), and get serious about living their Christianity. 

Psalms 59:16-17 says, “But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.  O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.”

Father, sweep over Seaside with your Spirit today in a big way.  Amen.