Hohum

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

How you doing?  I am fine.  Zzzzzzzzzz.  OOps. sorry!  Fell asleep.  It is that time of the year, cold, dreary, and boring.  Holidays are over for now and I still have some decorations to get out of our yard.  It is like pulling teeth however.  I know it needs done but I just don't want to do it.  Everything is going well.  Church is growing and active.  Bonnie is fine.  The dogs are fine.  Life is good.  I really don't have anything to complain about and yet....  I don't know why but I feel depressed, almost like something is wrong but I can't put my finger on it.  Winter doldrums?  Perhaps.  Maybe exhaustion.  Advent and Christmas were extremely busy and stressful.  Please don't get me wrong.  It was a wonderful time of the year.  Very meaningful and fun and a lot of work.  As a matter of fact we worked so hard this past Advent/Christmas season that I think it robbed us of some of our joy.  I did apologize to my staff and promised them that next year we would not be so busy.  We will have time to stop and smell the pine tree, if you know what I mean.  Life can be like that sometimes. 

We get so busy that we forget what is most important and that is Jesus, just plain, straight up Jesus.  Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God:"  As the phrase goes:  'you can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good".  Sometimes I can get so busy that I don't hear the cries of the needy even within my own famiy. "God forgive me."  It is important for us to keep things, life, in perspective.  After all the most important thing in life is salvation through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We must not let anything else distract us from that goal.  Perhaps you have heard all of the talk about the United Methodist Church being on the brink of division.  That has become a distraction for many people.  I downplay it because so much of it is speculation and whatifs.  What is important right now is to keep our heads in the game:  maked disciples for Christ, spread Scriptural holiness over the land, and lead people to Jesus Christ.  But we are a society that loves a good fight and so people will gossip.  Do not let yourselves become distracted from being an ambassador of Christ.  You may be just the intercessor someone needs to make a decision for Christ.  

So, stop and smell the flowers.  Get moving and do something good for Jesus, tell someone about Christ, spread Scriptural holiness over the land, love one another.  The choice is yours.

God loves you and so do I,

Pastor Bruce