There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season. – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NCV)
How has this been true in your life? What does this mean to you? What kind of special seasons have you gone through? What are some of the hard seasons? What are some of the joyous seasons? Where are you now?
Recently I sat down to write a Weekly Devotional. I had about a dozen different scriptures floating through my brain, but nothing substantial seemed to be formulating and I was getting frustrated.
To make matters worse my 15-month-old boy was also bothering me. He was grabbing onto the screen of the laptop and trying to close it. I looked at him and said, “Langston not right now, daddy is trying to work.” But he seemed neither to notice, nor to care, so I just tried to ignore him.
Then he came up with a book and set it next to me, and looked up at me smiling. “Langston we will read later, I am trying to do something.” Apparently he took that as an invitation to sit in my lap, because he tried pulling himself up. There was a part of me that was about to get angry when all of the sudden I realized how wonderful it was that he wanted me to read to him. Someday he won’t want his daddy reading to him. The work would still be there when we were done reading and playing, so I closed the computer and picked him up and read to him. And wouldn’t you know it, the work got done!
My little boy is in a special season of life and I better enjoy it or he will grow up and there will be time with him I can never get back. There is a time for everything, and that moment was not the time for me to write a devotional. It was the time to spend with a child who loves me and I thank my God that I did. We must realize that there really is a time for everything, because then we may actually be able to enjoy each moment for what it is, a miracle!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Friday, February 26, 2010
A Time For Everything
There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season. – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NCV)
How has this been true in your life? What does this mean to you? What kind of special seasons have you gone through? What are some of the hard seasons? What are some of the joyous seasons? Where are you now?
Recently I sat down to write a Weekly Devotional. I had about a dozen different scriptures floating through my brain, but nothing substantial seemed to be formulating and I was getting frustrated.
To make matters worse my 15-month-old boy was also bothering me. He was grabbing onto the screen of the laptop and trying to close it. I looked at him and said, “Langston not right now, daddy is trying to work.” But he seemed neither to notice, nor to care, so I just tried to ignore him.
Then he came up with a book and set it next to me, and looked up at me smiling. “Langston we will read later, I am trying to do something.” Apparently he took that as an invitation to sit in my lap, because he tried pulling himself up. There was a part of me that was about to get angry when all of the sudden I realized how wonderful it was that he wanted me to read to him. Someday he won’t want his daddy reading to him. The work would still be there when we were done reading and playing, so I closed the computer and picked him up and read to him. And wouldn’t you know it, the work got done!
My little boy is in a special season of life and I better enjoy it or he will grow up and there will be time with him I can never get back. There is a time for everything, and that moment was not the time for me to write a devotional. It was the time to spend with a child who loves me and I thank my God that I did. We must realize that there really is a time for everything, because then we may actually be able to enjoy each moment for what it is, a miracle!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How has this been true in your life? What does this mean to you? What kind of special seasons have you gone through? What are some of the hard seasons? What are some of the joyous seasons? Where are you now?
Recently I sat down to write a Weekly Devotional. I had about a dozen different scriptures floating through my brain, but nothing substantial seemed to be formulating and I was getting frustrated.
To make matters worse my 15-month-old boy was also bothering me. He was grabbing onto the screen of the laptop and trying to close it. I looked at him and said, “Langston not right now, daddy is trying to work.” But he seemed neither to notice, nor to care, so I just tried to ignore him.
Then he came up with a book and set it next to me, and looked up at me smiling. “Langston we will read later, I am trying to do something.” Apparently he took that as an invitation to sit in my lap, because he tried pulling himself up. There was a part of me that was about to get angry when all of the sudden I realized how wonderful it was that he wanted me to read to him. Someday he won’t want his daddy reading to him. The work would still be there when we were done reading and playing, so I closed the computer and picked him up and read to him. And wouldn’t you know it, the work got done!
My little boy is in a special season of life and I better enjoy it or he will grow up and there will be time with him I can never get back. There is a time for everything, and that moment was not the time for me to write a devotional. It was the time to spend with a child who loves me and I thank my God that I did. We must realize that there really is a time for everything, because then we may actually be able to enjoy each moment for what it is, a miracle!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Obeying Jesus
“Everyone who hears my words and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.” – Matthew 6:27 (NCV)
Do you listen to Jesus’ words? If you do, how do you know that you do? When have you not listened to Jesus? How have you been kept you from obeying? What happened? What is it like when you obey?
Back in college I knew everything… I really did, I mean I thought I really did. So when my ear started to ache I knew it would go away. After two weeks or so it didn’t go away and it started to hurt even more. Finally I thought that perhaps I was wrong about it going away and decided that it was best to go to a doctor.
Off I went to see my doctor who took one look in my ear and said, “Are you stupid?”
“Excuse me?”
“You should have see me at least two weeks ago,” he replied. “If you had waited much longer you could have permanent hearing loss.”
I was given some antibiotic drops and pills and told that I had to make sure I finished both of them. After a couple of days the pain was gone, so I figured I didn’t have to worry about finishing the pills that upset my stomach, or finishing the drops that seemed to be a waste of time…
A couple of days after my decision to ignore my doctor’s orders the pain came back. A couple of days after that I went back to the doctor. A couple of minutes after he came into the room he looked in my ear and said, “Are you stupid?”
I believed in my doctor, I just didn’t listen to him, and it got me into trouble. Having a house built on the sand would get you into trouble when the rains came down, and that is what happens when we don’t listen to Jesus, it gets us into trouble when the storms of life come up, and they will come up. To listen to Jesus and obey his words is to have a true relationship with God, which is the only way to keep standing during the storms of life. Begin to obey and when life aches we will know it won’t be permanent.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Do you listen to Jesus’ words? If you do, how do you know that you do? When have you not listened to Jesus? How have you been kept you from obeying? What happened? What is it like when you obey?
Back in college I knew everything… I really did, I mean I thought I really did. So when my ear started to ache I knew it would go away. After two weeks or so it didn’t go away and it started to hurt even more. Finally I thought that perhaps I was wrong about it going away and decided that it was best to go to a doctor.
Off I went to see my doctor who took one look in my ear and said, “Are you stupid?”
“Excuse me?”
“You should have see me at least two weeks ago,” he replied. “If you had waited much longer you could have permanent hearing loss.”
I was given some antibiotic drops and pills and told that I had to make sure I finished both of them. After a couple of days the pain was gone, so I figured I didn’t have to worry about finishing the pills that upset my stomach, or finishing the drops that seemed to be a waste of time…
A couple of days after my decision to ignore my doctor’s orders the pain came back. A couple of days after that I went back to the doctor. A couple of minutes after he came into the room he looked in my ear and said, “Are you stupid?”
I believed in my doctor, I just didn’t listen to him, and it got me into trouble. Having a house built on the sand would get you into trouble when the rains came down, and that is what happens when we don’t listen to Jesus, it gets us into trouble when the storms of life come up, and they will come up. To listen to Jesus and obey his words is to have a true relationship with God, which is the only way to keep standing during the storms of life. Begin to obey and when life aches we will know it won’t be permanent.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Finding Love and Finding God
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:11 (NIV)
How has God loved you? When last did you experience God’s love? How have you loved others because of God’s love for you? Have you experienced someone love you with a love that comes from God? What was it like?
Just recently a couple in the church wanted to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary. Since I am not quite yet 30 I have no idea what it must be like to be married to someone for 65 years. It is always great to go visit them, and hear the stories of how they met, their life together. I have discovered that in 65 years there are a lot of stories.
A couple of days ago, just a couple of days before their 65th anniversary the wife had a stroke. She had been sick for awhile, but this brought her to the brink of death. All of the plans they had for a great party here at the church had to be abandoned, and as I sat with her husband as he held her hand he told me how sad he was that they were not going to be able to celebrate such a monumental occasion, he told me how sad he was to be losing his wife, and I felt sad with him.
As I sat with him, unbeknownst to me, God was working something out. Their daughter, two church deacons, and a chaplain who happens to be my wife figured out how to have the party at their house. Maybe the man’s wife wouldn’t be able to experience what they had hoped, but she was still alive so there was reason to have a party.
They came up to us after everything was set. Food was going to be delivered to the house, people would come play music, all the family was going to be there, it was still going to be a celebration. This was explained to her husband, and then the sweetest thing happened. He smiled and said, “I am so happy.” Then this near 89-year-old man began crying. And maybe there were some tears of sadness, but also there were tears of joy as he knew he was going to be able to celebrate 65 years with his beloved.
In the whole scene I saw the love of God. I saw God’s love in a husband’s love for his wife. I saw it in family and church family working together to ensure a celebration could occur. I saw what could have just been a sad event become a celebration. I saw people who knew of God’s love and thereby loved those around them. And because I saw love, I saw God.
Where have you seen love? Where have you experienced love? Wherever there is love, there is also God! The reason we ought to love one another isn’t just so we have another commandment to obey. The reason we ought to love one another is so that God can show up in situations where people wonder where God is. There was a cross where a man was condemned to die. Tortured and beaten before his execution many may have wondered where God was then… and yet God was there. An awful instrument of torture has become a symbol of hope through the power of God’s love. If God can do that, what else can God do where love is present? Let’s find out!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
How has God loved you? When last did you experience God’s love? How have you loved others because of God’s love for you? Have you experienced someone love you with a love that comes from God? What was it like?
Just recently a couple in the church wanted to celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary. Since I am not quite yet 30 I have no idea what it must be like to be married to someone for 65 years. It is always great to go visit them, and hear the stories of how they met, their life together. I have discovered that in 65 years there are a lot of stories.
A couple of days ago, just a couple of days before their 65th anniversary the wife had a stroke. She had been sick for awhile, but this brought her to the brink of death. All of the plans they had for a great party here at the church had to be abandoned, and as I sat with her husband as he held her hand he told me how sad he was that they were not going to be able to celebrate such a monumental occasion, he told me how sad he was to be losing his wife, and I felt sad with him.
As I sat with him, unbeknownst to me, God was working something out. Their daughter, two church deacons, and a chaplain who happens to be my wife figured out how to have the party at their house. Maybe the man’s wife wouldn’t be able to experience what they had hoped, but she was still alive so there was reason to have a party.
They came up to us after everything was set. Food was going to be delivered to the house, people would come play music, all the family was going to be there, it was still going to be a celebration. This was explained to her husband, and then the sweetest thing happened. He smiled and said, “I am so happy.” Then this near 89-year-old man began crying. And maybe there were some tears of sadness, but also there were tears of joy as he knew he was going to be able to celebrate 65 years with his beloved.
In the whole scene I saw the love of God. I saw God’s love in a husband’s love for his wife. I saw it in family and church family working together to ensure a celebration could occur. I saw what could have just been a sad event become a celebration. I saw people who knew of God’s love and thereby loved those around them. And because I saw love, I saw God.
Where have you seen love? Where have you experienced love? Wherever there is love, there is also God! The reason we ought to love one another isn’t just so we have another commandment to obey. The reason we ought to love one another is so that God can show up in situations where people wonder where God is. There was a cross where a man was condemned to die. Tortured and beaten before his execution many may have wondered where God was then… and yet God was there. An awful instrument of torture has become a symbol of hope through the power of God’s love. If God can do that, what else can God do where love is present? Let’s find out!
With hope and joy,
Garrett
Monday, February 1, 2010
Minister's Minute from February Issue of the Journal of Hope and Joy
I went to pick my son up from day care the other day. When he saw me he threw his head back and laughed like he just heard the best joke. Then he ran toward me smiling the whole time and it was then I realized that the laugh was for me. As he got closer he put out his arms and ran right between my legs grabbing onto one and hugging me with all his might. He looked up at me with a face full of satisfaction and I thought for a moment he was going to say, “Daddy I am so happy to see you”… he never did, at least not with words, but I pray to my God that the memory of him laughing and running up to me never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
I had lunch with Doug McClure of the Salvation Army and David Blackwell of Mission Change recently. It was a good time. Each of us shared our joys of the ministry, our concerns, the ways we watch God at work, the miracles we see on a regular basis. Those two are incredible to be around because they love God and others so much they do not even seem to notice all the work they do. I once read that while faith makes all things possible, love makes them easy. Watching those two talk about planes going into Haiti, and mission trips being planned, and churches working together, and new social programs being implemented, and trying to get impoverished youth into a Christian camp I discovered the truth of that statement. Love does make things easy to do, because it makes all things worthwhile. As Doug talked about trying to raise money for kids who have never left Albany to go to a special camp where their lives could change David and I looked at each other. David said, “How much more do you need?” “$750.” I looked at David and said, “David, we can get that raised by next week right?” We agreed and told Doug he would have the money by the next week… it was then I knew with all that I am I was having lunch with friends God has given me, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Sometime last week I went to see some people in the hospital. As I spoke with one person in the waiting room outside the SICU she told me about a family in the waiting room that needed prayers. On the other side of the room was a sad looking family. I stared at them as I was told about their situation. A father and young son had been in a horrible car accident and taken to different hospitals. Neither was doing well. When they woke up their first question was about where the other one was, love is an incredible bond. I went to the family who gave me an update and then I asked if I could pray. Together we joined hands and I began to pray. As I prayed another woman came up and then broke into our circle of prayer. She just separated my hand from the woman’s I was holding and then grabbed onto our hands. After we finished the prayer I looked over at her and she said, “I figured that family needed all the prayer they could get so I joined in”… she was right, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Last Saturday a group of youth came from First Presbyterian Bainbridge to help feed the needy at the Saturday Samaritan Missions. There were maybe 20 kids here helping to move tables, and greet people, and feed the hungry. At one point I stood back and just watched. It was then I saw God. I saw God as a homeless person grateful for food. I saw God as a teenage girl from a different town grateful for a chance to serve. I saw God as members of different churches worked together believing that together we can do so much more than alone. For a moment I wondered if I would ever see God like that again… I am sure I will, but I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
God offers a world so full of beauty, a life filled with surprise, and moments of inspiration to each of us with the express intent that we in turn offer the world what God has given us, joy! Go find your fuel for joy and let joy abound.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
I had lunch with Doug McClure of the Salvation Army and David Blackwell of Mission Change recently. It was a good time. Each of us shared our joys of the ministry, our concerns, the ways we watch God at work, the miracles we see on a regular basis. Those two are incredible to be around because they love God and others so much they do not even seem to notice all the work they do. I once read that while faith makes all things possible, love makes them easy. Watching those two talk about planes going into Haiti, and mission trips being planned, and churches working together, and new social programs being implemented, and trying to get impoverished youth into a Christian camp I discovered the truth of that statement. Love does make things easy to do, because it makes all things worthwhile. As Doug talked about trying to raise money for kids who have never left Albany to go to a special camp where their lives could change David and I looked at each other. David said, “How much more do you need?” “$750.” I looked at David and said, “David, we can get that raised by next week right?” We agreed and told Doug he would have the money by the next week… it was then I knew with all that I am I was having lunch with friends God has given me, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Sometime last week I went to see some people in the hospital. As I spoke with one person in the waiting room outside the SICU she told me about a family in the waiting room that needed prayers. On the other side of the room was a sad looking family. I stared at them as I was told about their situation. A father and young son had been in a horrible car accident and taken to different hospitals. Neither was doing well. When they woke up their first question was about where the other one was, love is an incredible bond. I went to the family who gave me an update and then I asked if I could pray. Together we joined hands and I began to pray. As I prayed another woman came up and then broke into our circle of prayer. She just separated my hand from the woman’s I was holding and then grabbed onto our hands. After we finished the prayer I looked over at her and she said, “I figured that family needed all the prayer they could get so I joined in”… she was right, and I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
Last Saturday a group of youth came from First Presbyterian Bainbridge to help feed the needy at the Saturday Samaritan Missions. There were maybe 20 kids here helping to move tables, and greet people, and feed the hungry. At one point I stood back and just watched. It was then I saw God. I saw God as a homeless person grateful for food. I saw God as a teenage girl from a different town grateful for a chance to serve. I saw God as members of different churches worked together believing that together we can do so much more than alone. For a moment I wondered if I would ever see God like that again… I am sure I will, but I pray to my God that the memory of that moment never leaves me. It has already been my fuel for joy in moments of need.
God offers a world so full of beauty, a life filled with surprise, and moments of inspiration to each of us with the express intent that we in turn offer the world what God has given us, joy! Go find your fuel for joy and let joy abound.
Riding the Wave of the Holy Spirit,
Garrett
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