Harris Creek Baptist Church

Wow.

Summer has come, ravaged our family, and is quietly slipping away. I am ready for the school year and the stability that provides. So much happened that I didn’t write much. But sitting here watching cartoons and eating fruit loops with my youngest two, I reflected on some things. Life is a gift. That is one of those truisms that we toss around, but truly has implications for how we live. None of us is self made. Our parents and our families played a huge part in who we are. They are one of God’s gifts to us. Some people probably don’t feel that way. They may not have had the best family experiences growing up. Yet some of the best people I know came from the most difficult circumstances. It has radically shaped them in ways they could not have imagined. “All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Family is a gift, even if we don’t realize it. I have a great one! My wife, Teri is amazing. (She was recently volunteer of the year at Mission Waco, an organization that helps the poor, while raising three kids and keeping my life afloat.) She is not one for the limelight either. (People with talent should at least be arrogant, so the rest of us can look down on them in some way.)

The second gift was brought home to me recently as I became a part of the Facebook world. (About time said at least 20 people the day I got started!) I found lots of friends I hadn’t seen in a while. Many had a huge impact on my life. Most I never thanked. I found my old younglife leader Cheryl Fletcher. She is great! She has challenged me, encouraged me, led campaigners, been mad at me when I did live up to God’s potential, and mostly prayed over my life. Now, that is truly a gift. At a time in my life where God was hardly on the radar, she kept pointing me to the center. So, here’s to Fletch!

Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our path, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.-Corrie ten Boom

That was never more true than Fletch, or the whole other host of friends I have had a chance to reconnect with. There are almost too many to thank. Joe Cuello for inviting me to help him with younglife training and for asking me to speak one week while he was out. Keith Eddlemen, who after that fateful club talk, told me that if I didn’t preach I would have missed God’s call on my life. (It has taken me a long time to come to grips with that, but very prophetic!) Ross Rutherford, childhood friend who made a lot of mistakes with me, but also gave his life to Christ and has encouraged me to be bold. When my dad died, at the funeral, some mutual friends where asking how I could be holding up so well. Ross shared with them that my dad was a believer and therefore would be with Jesus forever. What a chance to share the gospel! David Pemberton (whose father died while we were in Denton) said that we all need a dad to tell us well done. So here we are on vacation a few years back. David with his lovely new bride Brandy, and Teri and Darby and Dylan and I. David said, “You can’t hear you dad say it, but You have done well. He would be proud. “ ( If you aren’t teary eyed there, then I didn’t convey how powerful that moment was.) That was before I came to Harris Creek, but I played that memory over in my head often when I became the Pastor of a church. How many people in the world need some one to step in and pronounce a blessing on their life? To hear the words of their heavenly father spoken through human lips? “You have done well” and more importantly “I love you.”

The trouble with listing people though is the list is endless. What about Joey Turner, who did the most radical 180 I have ever seen and has never looked back. I mean, that dude lives for Jesus like Paul, Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead with this goal in mind I strive toward the prize of the upward call of Christ Jesus...What about Patrick and CV and Whiteside and Wegehoft? Their impact has made me who I am. I couldn’t even start to list church members. I have been given far more than I have given. I am the recipient to more blessings than you can imagine. So what should I say? If I haven’t said thank you to you in person, then I have failed. But here these words for your life.

I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for you.-Phil 1:3-4

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 16th, 2008 at 9:43 am and is filed under Christian Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.