It’s
around zero to -5 degrees here in central Wisconsin. We have about 14 inches of
snow still on the ground. It’s hard to tell because of how much we push the
snow around and make giant piles of it.
I
woke up this morning around 4:30 am. Writing this article was on my mind. I
missed last week. I was busy…too busy to write. Can you believe that...too busy
to write! Me and the guys in the band were preparing for a dinner concert that
we were using as a fundraiser for our ministry this summer. We were doing songs that we
don’t normally perform. So, we were rehearsing every evening…that we could. I had
a couple of people in the hospital from my church so I made some hospital
visits (which are a 45 minute drive one way). I officiated a couple of
basketball games (that’s where the funds came from to put on the dinner). In
the middle of all this the parsonage sewer line came to a complete and
immediate halt. So, I took the time to rent a snake and try to clean it out
myself… I broke the snake. If any of my parishioners are reading this, I paid
for it out of my own pocket. And it wasn’t just a “simple job”. Because of the
snow and ice outside, we had to take the toilet off the floor and go in from
the inside. We eventually had to call in a professional due to my failure.
Let’s
see…where was I? Oh yes, I started a “Lenten Family Bible Study”. That’s where
we come together on Wednesday Nights. People bring a dish to pass, fellowship
together, pray together and then break up by age group to study God’s Word
together. I am one of those guys that develop his own curriculum for
everything. So, I’ve been putting in a lot of late nights on that.
I
still have my regular sermon prep to do. I’ve been working on getting the band
booked for ministry (which is a whole other blog by itself). I also I performed
a sweetheart wedding for an 84 year old man and his bride (which shall remain
ageless). And for the grand finale… drum
roll please…my whole household has come down with a respiratory
infection…everyone but me. This week isn’t looking any easier.
That’s
the last 10 days. The purpose of this diatribe isn’t pity. In fact, it’s just
the opposite. As I was lying awake and thinking about this article at 4:30 am,
it dawned on me (pun intended) that one of the ladies from my Church was
getting up and getting ready for work. I wouldn’t want to have to do that every
day.
As I
looked outside at the ice and snow, I was reminded of a couple of fellows from
my Church that deliver LP gas and work outside all day in the cold. I wouldn’t
want to do that either.
As I
hear my kids and wife coughing in a symphony of hacks, I am reminded of the different
ones I have visited in the hospitals with the flu so severe it almost cost them
their lives. I am reminded of parishioners and family members with children
that are battling cancer…fighting for their lives. I wouldn’t want to face
that.
When
I think about the time that I gave for that wedding, it also occurs to me the
joy that the bride and groom are experiencing came at the price of sorrow. Both
had lost their spouses in prolonged illnesses. I don’t want to face that!
So,
you see it’s about perspective. My life maybe a little crazy, hectic and hard
to manage, however, I would rather lose a little sleep and write this article
(which I enjoy doing) than go through what some others are going through!
Thank
you God for giving me what I can handle!
So I
will tackle this day with God’s grace and help. I will praise Him because He
promised He would never leave me alone. I will purposely live for Him because
God promised that those who do will be so close that they will be in His
shadow! (Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the
shadow of the Almighty. I
will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91: 1-2)
I
will endeavor to learn how to manage my time so as not to miss being with you
(my friends) on the “Front Porch”.
I
must go. I have some friends I want to pray for today. I want to ask God to
give them strength. Then, I have an elderly lady to take to the hospital which
is an hour and a half away. I wouldn’t want to have the heart problems she’s
having or face the surgery that she’s facing.
