Summer is well under way, and we're enjoying its bounty here in Mason. Nineteen of our amazing youth and three adult advisors and I spent a fantastic week up at Camp Greenwood for Serve Week . . . the choir celebrated the end of the year with a festive picnic on a beautiful early summer evening . . . the Session and Deacons enjoyed a casual potluck dinner on a hotter night with some really yummy food . . . several dozen among us enjoyed each other's company as they watched the Lugnuts trounce the Quad Cities River Bandits (I wanted to be there too, but was at home nursing a fever) . . . twenty-two children, eleven teenage helpers, and three counselors descended upon the church for our Greenwood Day Camp . . . various groups have been meeting to begin making plans for fall programming . . . Sheren and Lori and I have all been extremely grateful for the air conditioning in our offices . . . and I've been enjoying the freedom that comes from a less-demanding schedule than what we have during the program year. It's given me time to work on clearing the clutter in my office.
Ah, clutter. Why is it that our offices and our homes seem to be so full of it? Why is it that every time we clean one pile, another pile appears?
I've been finding all sorts of things in my office that I set aside over the course of the past year because I didn't have time to deal with them then. Catalogs . . . magazines . . . notes that I had written to myself about things that needed to be done . . . various documents of a historical nature (we keep finding interesting treasures buried in boxes and files) . . . brochures . . . articles . . . artwork . . . worship resources . . . committee reports and minutes . . . projects that had been started and then set aside . . . insurance information . . . books that I want to find time to read . . . letters . . . spiritual gifts inventories . . . unfinished job descriptions . . . and more. With each item I uncover, there are two key questions I have to ask: (1) Is this truly important? (2) If so, what needs to be done with it, or how should I file it? In many cases, the answers are obvious. In many other cases, the answers are not obvious at all.
Clearing out the clutter in our lives is demanding work. It demands time, it demands emotional energy, it demands spiritual energy. It's draining. And yet - the freedom that comes from a clean desk and clean shelves is tremendous. It's a rich blessing, one to be celebrated and treasured. The more clutter we manage to free ourselves from in our lives, the less burdened our souls are, and the more room we have in our hearts to open ourselves up to God's grace and Christ's will for our lives.
Take a look around your office, your home, your life. Where is your soul burdened by too much clutter? I'm talking not only about the material clutter in our lives - the physical piles that accumulate - but also the emotional and spiritual clutter that pervades our lives and weighs heavily on our souls. What do we really not need in our lives? What is present in our lives that - if it were gone - would bring us feelings of peace and freedom? Can we imagine a life for ourselves that is less burdened by clutter - and can we will ourselves to do the work we need to do to get rid of the clutter?
I've been spending many hours clearing the clutter in my office. As I write these words, I'm not done yet. I've got quite a number of piles yet to go. But it is so freeing. Every time I clear out a pile, or I recover part of a shelf or a portion of my desk, or accomplish that task that I've been putting off for weeks or months, it feels so good. Cleansing. Refreshing. Even healing, in a way.
My hope and prayer is that by the time our program year starts up in the fall, I'll have cleared out the clutter in my office. There may still be some unfinished projects that need to be worked on - several of my piles have to do with laborious tasks that certain committees have been working on for a while now, and there is still more work that needs to be done. Those might not get resolved by mid-September. But much of the clutter in my office . . . maybe I'll be successful. I've got a good fighting chance. I just need to muster up the will to keep at it.
It feels so good . . . it feels so good. . . .
Peace and blessings,
Bill
August 1, 2012
June 1, 2012
A Week in the Life of a Pastor
There's an adage that says: "Ninety percent of the people don't know what the pastor does with ninety percent of his or her time." This month: mysteries revealed!
Let me start with a basic premise: Spiritually healthy congregations are led by spiritually healthy pastors. I need to nurture my own personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ; I need to tend to the needs of my wife and children; I need to take care of my physical health; and I need to have Sabbath time built into the rhythm of my week. Too many pastors allow the demands of ministry to become all-consuming, and all too often the result is one or more of the following: burnout, divorce, mental breakdown, infidelity, alcoholism, development of preventable health conditions, or sometimes even death. One overly-busy pastor I know died from a heart attack a few years ago, leaving both his wife and his congregation deeply grieving. There is ample research demonstrating that pastors need to be tending to their spiritual, emotional, and physical health better than many of us pastors actually do.
So, with that fundamental premise in mind, here's what a typical week looks like for me during the program year.
Sunday morning I wake up with my sermon on my mind: have I said what I really believe God is wanting me to say, and am I saying it in the best possible way I can? I'm constantly editing throughout Sunday morning, even after I arrive at church. Then the chaos begins: lots of people want to talk with me, lots of people with whom I need to talk, touching base with the liturgist, making sure I've got everything I need in my notebook, checking my microphone, robing up, praying with the choir, WORSHIPING GOD, delivering the best possible sermon I can give, replenishing myself through the music in the remainder of the service, blessing you all, talking with more people, putting my things away, taking a deep breath. . . . Most Sundays also include two or more of the following: Men's Breakfast, Men's Chorus rehearsal, adult Sunday School, Explorers Class, Confirmation, Deepwater Fishing, Senior High Youth Fellowship, and an occasional presbytery event.
Monday is primarily spent preparing for and leading the Disciple Bible study: making sure I've done all the reading that the participants are doing, reading the teacher's guide, previewing the video, preparing the lesson, arranging the room, and then having the joy of leading the class itself, which is consistently one of the highlights of my week. Also on Monday I need to touch base with Sheren, take a good look at the upcoming Sunday's scripture passage that will be the focus of my sermon, and email Sandy my thoughts on where the sermon is likely to head so she can make the best possible choices for hymns and other worship elements.
Tuesday varies a lot. Usually I'm checking my church email account on Tuesday for the first time in several days. Typically there are about 50 messages waiting in my inbox, some of which just need a quick read and others of which demand quite a bit of time and attention. Often on Tuesday I tend to necessary administrative responsibilities and I try to tackle the various piles of paperwork that are waiting for me. Tuesdays are often good days to discuss issues with other members of the church staff, to meet with our volunteer church leaders, or to counsel parishioners. Once a month I meet with my Presbyterian colleagues in the greater Lansing area; once a month I attend a Budget and Finance Committee meeting at the presbytery office in Portage; several times a year Bruce Archer and I travel to sister churches near or far for stated meetings of the presbytery. Tuesday night is typically one of the two nights a week I am with my family and unencumbered by church responsibilities.
Wednesday during the program year I'm usually here till 7:30pm (or later), so I don't start my work day until around 11:15am. I prepare and lead the midweek prayer service, then enjoy lunch with the diverse range of people who attend the service. Also, my sermon prep for the upcoming Sunday needs to be far enough along that I can give Sheren a sermon title for the bulletin. Once a month Sandy and Deb and I meet to discuss music for the next couple months. Sometimes on Wednesdays I assist with various aspects of our Wednesday afternoon program; other times I observe; periodically I'm needed for troubleshooting or problem-solving. Because of the volume of traffic in and out of the building on Wednesdays, this tends to be a good day to connect with church leaders or to counsel parishioners. I see many of you at Wednesday night dinner, and sometimes my presence is requested or needed at meetings before or after dinner.
Thursday is similar to Tuesday. Once a month I join the Finance Committee for an early-morning meeting; once a month I head to the presbytery office for a meeting of the presbytery's Leadership Team; once a month this past year I attended a continuing education workshop on effective congregational leadership. There are more administrative tasks to perform, more people to meet with, more emails to respond to, more phone calls to return. (In today's high-tech world there are at least six different ways people contact me, and I have to do my best to stay on top of them all.) By Thursday, Sheren has the bulletin ready for proofing. Once a month I write an article for the newsletter; once a month I write a report for Session; once a month I read everybody else's reports to Session. If I'm leading a class on Sunday (Explorers Class, Confirmation, etc.), I have to make sure it's planned and ready to go before I head home Thursday afternoon. (And how's that sermon coming along?) I'm home for a couple hours - typically long enough to go for a run, eat dinner, and help clean up - then I head back to church, because there's almost always one or more committee meetings taking place on Thursday night that requires my presence, in whole or in part.
Friday is my "day off." It's the day for doing "home" work: running errands, sorting the mail, mowing the yard, paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, cleaning the house, going to the doctor or dentist, taking the children to the doctor or dentist, etc. My goal on Friday is to take care of as much "home" work as possible so that I can truly enjoy Saturday. Friday night is the second "family night" of the week. Maybe some of the rest of you enjoy going out on Friday night - but I greatly enjoy having a quiet evening at home with just my family!
Saturday usually involves two significant elements: Sabbath time and sermon preparation. Nowadays, I'm often going for a long bike ride on Saturday mornings, enjoying the beauty of God's amazing creation, clearing my head of all the clutter, talking to God, and listening for God's voice. My best sermon preparation is often done when I'm out there, on the roads, just me and God. When I get home, it's time to open up the laptop and set to work. Hopefully by this point in the week I have a solid start on the sermon, but even if I have I often find myself re-working significant parts of it. My goal at this point is to try to listen as carefully as I can for what God wants me to say in the sermon. That often requires multiple re-writes of portions of it . . . or, occasionally, chucking the whole thing and starting over from scratch. I'm typically home on Saturday nights, but it's hardly a relaxing evening with the family - because I can't get that sermon out of my head!
Then there are the out-of-the-ordinary: the occasional Saturday meetings, the periodic overnight retreats, the weeks away at continuing education events, the occasional problems with our computer or printer or network, the people who drop in expressing a need who aren't part of our church family. Then there are the unexpected crises, the bona-fide emergencies that demand a restructuring of my time. We have funerals here, on average, about once every ten weeks, and there are numerous other crises that develop in the lives of our parishioners - some of which everybody knows about, and some of which next-to-nobody knows about. I tend to direct my attention towards the "private" crises a bit more than the "public" crises, because our Deacons and the rest of you ministers are available to help with the "public" crises.
All in a week's work. If I manage my time well, I get all that done in a 40ish-hour work week, which is what this job should be. Sometimes I put in 10-hour days; other times I only put in about 6. It all balances out. I try hard not to let the job become all-consuming; I try hard not to let it become a full-and-a-half time job. Even Jesus didn't devote all his waking hours to the work of ministry - he routinely took time to retreat from the needs of the world in order to re-connect with God.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers, your support, and your understanding as I seek to carry out my pastoral ministry here in a manner that is both faithful to the gospel and healthy for my soul. It's all for the purpose of building up the kingdom of God, of doing that which is my primary job in the most effective manner possible: advancing the spiritual development of the church, the body of Christ.
Peace and blessings,
Bill
Let me start with a basic premise: Spiritually healthy congregations are led by spiritually healthy pastors. I need to nurture my own personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ; I need to tend to the needs of my wife and children; I need to take care of my physical health; and I need to have Sabbath time built into the rhythm of my week. Too many pastors allow the demands of ministry to become all-consuming, and all too often the result is one or more of the following: burnout, divorce, mental breakdown, infidelity, alcoholism, development of preventable health conditions, or sometimes even death. One overly-busy pastor I know died from a heart attack a few years ago, leaving both his wife and his congregation deeply grieving. There is ample research demonstrating that pastors need to be tending to their spiritual, emotional, and physical health better than many of us pastors actually do.
So, with that fundamental premise in mind, here's what a typical week looks like for me during the program year.
Sunday morning I wake up with my sermon on my mind: have I said what I really believe God is wanting me to say, and am I saying it in the best possible way I can? I'm constantly editing throughout Sunday morning, even after I arrive at church. Then the chaos begins: lots of people want to talk with me, lots of people with whom I need to talk, touching base with the liturgist, making sure I've got everything I need in my notebook, checking my microphone, robing up, praying with the choir, WORSHIPING GOD, delivering the best possible sermon I can give, replenishing myself through the music in the remainder of the service, blessing you all, talking with more people, putting my things away, taking a deep breath. . . . Most Sundays also include two or more of the following: Men's Breakfast, Men's Chorus rehearsal, adult Sunday School, Explorers Class, Confirmation, Deepwater Fishing, Senior High Youth Fellowship, and an occasional presbytery event.
Monday is primarily spent preparing for and leading the Disciple Bible study: making sure I've done all the reading that the participants are doing, reading the teacher's guide, previewing the video, preparing the lesson, arranging the room, and then having the joy of leading the class itself, which is consistently one of the highlights of my week. Also on Monday I need to touch base with Sheren, take a good look at the upcoming Sunday's scripture passage that will be the focus of my sermon, and email Sandy my thoughts on where the sermon is likely to head so she can make the best possible choices for hymns and other worship elements.
Tuesday varies a lot. Usually I'm checking my church email account on Tuesday for the first time in several days. Typically there are about 50 messages waiting in my inbox, some of which just need a quick read and others of which demand quite a bit of time and attention. Often on Tuesday I tend to necessary administrative responsibilities and I try to tackle the various piles of paperwork that are waiting for me. Tuesdays are often good days to discuss issues with other members of the church staff, to meet with our volunteer church leaders, or to counsel parishioners. Once a month I meet with my Presbyterian colleagues in the greater Lansing area; once a month I attend a Budget and Finance Committee meeting at the presbytery office in Portage; several times a year Bruce Archer and I travel to sister churches near or far for stated meetings of the presbytery. Tuesday night is typically one of the two nights a week I am with my family and unencumbered by church responsibilities.
Wednesday during the program year I'm usually here till 7:30pm (or later), so I don't start my work day until around 11:15am. I prepare and lead the midweek prayer service, then enjoy lunch with the diverse range of people who attend the service. Also, my sermon prep for the upcoming Sunday needs to be far enough along that I can give Sheren a sermon title for the bulletin. Once a month Sandy and Deb and I meet to discuss music for the next couple months. Sometimes on Wednesdays I assist with various aspects of our Wednesday afternoon program; other times I observe; periodically I'm needed for troubleshooting or problem-solving. Because of the volume of traffic in and out of the building on Wednesdays, this tends to be a good day to connect with church leaders or to counsel parishioners. I see many of you at Wednesday night dinner, and sometimes my presence is requested or needed at meetings before or after dinner.
Thursday is similar to Tuesday. Once a month I join the Finance Committee for an early-morning meeting; once a month I head to the presbytery office for a meeting of the presbytery's Leadership Team; once a month this past year I attended a continuing education workshop on effective congregational leadership. There are more administrative tasks to perform, more people to meet with, more emails to respond to, more phone calls to return. (In today's high-tech world there are at least six different ways people contact me, and I have to do my best to stay on top of them all.) By Thursday, Sheren has the bulletin ready for proofing. Once a month I write an article for the newsletter; once a month I write a report for Session; once a month I read everybody else's reports to Session. If I'm leading a class on Sunday (Explorers Class, Confirmation, etc.), I have to make sure it's planned and ready to go before I head home Thursday afternoon. (And how's that sermon coming along?) I'm home for a couple hours - typically long enough to go for a run, eat dinner, and help clean up - then I head back to church, because there's almost always one or more committee meetings taking place on Thursday night that requires my presence, in whole or in part.
Friday is my "day off." It's the day for doing "home" work: running errands, sorting the mail, mowing the yard, paying the bills, balancing the checkbook, cleaning the house, going to the doctor or dentist, taking the children to the doctor or dentist, etc. My goal on Friday is to take care of as much "home" work as possible so that I can truly enjoy Saturday. Friday night is the second "family night" of the week. Maybe some of the rest of you enjoy going out on Friday night - but I greatly enjoy having a quiet evening at home with just my family!
Saturday usually involves two significant elements: Sabbath time and sermon preparation. Nowadays, I'm often going for a long bike ride on Saturday mornings, enjoying the beauty of God's amazing creation, clearing my head of all the clutter, talking to God, and listening for God's voice. My best sermon preparation is often done when I'm out there, on the roads, just me and God. When I get home, it's time to open up the laptop and set to work. Hopefully by this point in the week I have a solid start on the sermon, but even if I have I often find myself re-working significant parts of it. My goal at this point is to try to listen as carefully as I can for what God wants me to say in the sermon. That often requires multiple re-writes of portions of it . . . or, occasionally, chucking the whole thing and starting over from scratch. I'm typically home on Saturday nights, but it's hardly a relaxing evening with the family - because I can't get that sermon out of my head!
Then there are the out-of-the-ordinary: the occasional Saturday meetings, the periodic overnight retreats, the weeks away at continuing education events, the occasional problems with our computer or printer or network, the people who drop in expressing a need who aren't part of our church family. Then there are the unexpected crises, the bona-fide emergencies that demand a restructuring of my time. We have funerals here, on average, about once every ten weeks, and there are numerous other crises that develop in the lives of our parishioners - some of which everybody knows about, and some of which next-to-nobody knows about. I tend to direct my attention towards the "private" crises a bit more than the "public" crises, because our Deacons and the rest of you ministers are available to help with the "public" crises.
All in a week's work. If I manage my time well, I get all that done in a 40ish-hour work week, which is what this job should be. Sometimes I put in 10-hour days; other times I only put in about 6. It all balances out. I try hard not to let the job become all-consuming; I try hard not to let it become a full-and-a-half time job. Even Jesus didn't devote all his waking hours to the work of ministry - he routinely took time to retreat from the needs of the world in order to re-connect with God.
I would greatly appreciate your prayers, your support, and your understanding as I seek to carry out my pastoral ministry here in a manner that is both faithful to the gospel and healthy for my soul. It's all for the purpose of building up the kingdom of God, of doing that which is my primary job in the most effective manner possible: advancing the spiritual development of the church, the body of Christ.
Peace and blessings,
Bill
May 1, 2012
On Christian Freedom
I've been thinking a lot about freedom recently. Not freedom as it is often talked about in our American political discourse, but rather about Christian freedom. The freedom we have as people who have been claimed and loved by God Almighty, redeemed and called by Jesus Christ, gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I thought about freedom when I was at the Credo conference in Texas a few weeks back, I've thought about it repeatedly since then, and a week or two ago I thought about it in conjunction with a discussion at the Disciple Bible study on Paul's letter to the Galatians - an "ancient emancipation proclamation," it has been called. I read Galatians carefully and underlined every instance of the words "free" or "freedom," then underlined every instance of the words "slavery" or "slavery" or "enslaved," and then I underlined the words "redeem" and "redeemed." There are a lot of references to Christian freedom in that letter! Paul's whole point in that letter was to declare boldly that "for freedom Christ has set us free!"
But what is Christian freedom, and how do we experience it? While I don't have a fully formed answer to that question yet, I offer here some preliminary thoughts.
We experience Christian freedom when God delivers us from bondage. The Old Testament tells the story of God delivering the Israelites from slavery; the New Testament tells the story of God delivering us from sin and death. There are a multitude of forces and powers that try to enslave us. Some people are burdened by depression; others struggle with low self-esteem. Some have become enslaved to drugs or alcohol or any of numerous other addictions; others are ensnared by harmful messages they absorbed in their childhood and youth. Some are stuck in jobs that do not fufill them; others are caught in relationships that suffocate them. Some can't seem to escape from financial worry and debt; others can't seem to escape from violence or warfare. There are all sorts of ways in which we might be living in bondage here and now. The good news of the gospel is that God delivers us from bondage. It might not happen overnight. (How long were the Israelites slates in Egypt?) It might not be an easy journey. (How much did they grumble and complain in the wilderness?) It might require tremendous acts of courage. (How terrified were they of the Canaanites?) But God does deliver us. That's the biblical story, and that's the story that many people have experienced in their own personal life. The freedom that comes through deliverance from bondage leads us to cry out with joy and gladness to God; it gives us profound reasons to bow down and worship the God who saves us.
We experience Christian freedom when we respond faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ. The gospels tell the story of Jesus Christ reaching out to the lonely, the least, and the lost with love and grace in Jesus Christ. People were presented with numerous opportunities to respond to the gospel message. Some responded with hostility, anger, jealousy, and greed. But others responded with faith and trust. They recognized that what Jesus was offering them was something powerful, something cleansing, something healing. Something that could set them free. They left behind their former lives - fishermen, tax collectors, political rebels, whatever - so that they could follow in the footsteps of their new Master. They became eager learners, students, followers, disciples. They accompanied Jesus on his travels; they supported his ministry with their financial offerings; they were commissioned to go out two-by-two to do acts of mercy in Jesus' name. They grew. They changed. They were freed. Rejoicing in their newfound freedom, they accompanied Jesus triumphantly to Jerusalem, where their faith would be put to the ultimate test. The freedom that the first disciples of Christ experienced is a freedom that can also be ours when we respond faithfully, as they did, to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ. That means letting go of some things we might prefer to hold on to. That means no longer continuing to do things just because "we've always done it that way before." That means stepping out of our comfort zones to embrace a better, richer, fuller life. That means choosing to follow in the footsteps of a certain Master. That means reading and studying and discussing God's word. That means pondering with great sincerity the implications of the gospel for our everyday living. That means becoming more committed to ministry in Christ's name. It may sound scary - perhaps even downright frightening - at first. But I know nobody who has responded faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ and regretted it. Not one single person. On the contrary, I can think of countless individuals whose lives have been richly blessed when they gave Christ more room to work in their hearts and in their lives.
We experience Christian freedom when the Holy Spirit empowers us with boldness and courage to do the challenging things that God is calling us to do. The book of Acts tells the story of the Holy Spirit coming upon Christ's disciples, calling them to spread the gospel far and wide. They cured people from various diseases; they cast out demons; they gave generously to the mission of the church and to the poor in their midst; they brought the gospel message to thousands of people who never would have heard it otherwise. They brought Christian freedom to people who were living in bondage. They faced incredible hardship along the way. They were ridiculed, imprisoned, beaten, and sometimes even killed. Yet they knew how crucial their message was, how vital. They went to great lengths - and great risks - to keep on going. They refused to be deterred, no matter how great the danger. The Holy Spirit came upon them, time and time again, giving them courage and boldness to do what God wanted them to do. (Read the book of Acts and underline all the instances of the words "courage" and "boldness"!) Countless Christians down through the centuries have also been empowered with boldness and courage to do the challenging things that God was calling them to do. Some Christians fought valiantly against the oppressive forces of the Roman Catholic Church when it was in dire need of reformation. Some Christians fought valiantly to free slaves in the New World. Some Christians fought valiantly against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Some Christians fought valiantly on behalf of civil rights for African Americans. Good, faithful Christians died for all of those causes. Some Christians continue to fight valiantly here in our nation and around the world to bring the gospel message to people and places that aren't always eager to welcome it. These Christians have been compelled by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And so are we - anytime we muster up the courage necessary to do whatever it is that God is calling us to do. God has given every single one of us a purpose, a destiny, a reason for being. Living into that calling requires courage and boldness . . . which the Holy Spirit is eager to provide.
At the end of our study of Galatians in the Disciple Bible study, I posed the following questions to the participants: "In what ways do you feel that you are not fully experiencing freedom in Christ? To whom or to what are you currently enslaved? How can your faith in Christ lead you to a greater degree of freedom? How can you break free?" I posted the same set of questions on my Facebook page. Michael Hauser responded (publicly) by saying "Those are some great questions." He also suggested that the last question might be better phrased, "How can he set you free?" - and he's right; that is a much better way to put it. A couple days later a friend of mine said that my post (in her words) "inspired me to work on my food addiction." She's telling me that she is "going to replace it with something healthy . . . like starting hand quilting again." Bravo! Here's a woman who is realizing that the life she's living is not the life Christ wants her to live. She's living in bondage; she wants to live in freedom. She's praying to God for deliverance; she's responding faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ; she's asking the Holy Spirit to empower her with boldness and courage to do the challenging thing that God is calling her to do.
What about you? In what ways do you feel that you are not fully experiencing freedom in Christ? To whom or to what are you currently enslaved? How can your faith in Christ lead you to a greater degree of freedom? How can he set you free?
Peace and blessings,
Bill
But what is Christian freedom, and how do we experience it? While I don't have a fully formed answer to that question yet, I offer here some preliminary thoughts.
We experience Christian freedom when God delivers us from bondage. The Old Testament tells the story of God delivering the Israelites from slavery; the New Testament tells the story of God delivering us from sin and death. There are a multitude of forces and powers that try to enslave us. Some people are burdened by depression; others struggle with low self-esteem. Some have become enslaved to drugs or alcohol or any of numerous other addictions; others are ensnared by harmful messages they absorbed in their childhood and youth. Some are stuck in jobs that do not fufill them; others are caught in relationships that suffocate them. Some can't seem to escape from financial worry and debt; others can't seem to escape from violence or warfare. There are all sorts of ways in which we might be living in bondage here and now. The good news of the gospel is that God delivers us from bondage. It might not happen overnight. (How long were the Israelites slates in Egypt?) It might not be an easy journey. (How much did they grumble and complain in the wilderness?) It might require tremendous acts of courage. (How terrified were they of the Canaanites?) But God does deliver us. That's the biblical story, and that's the story that many people have experienced in their own personal life. The freedom that comes through deliverance from bondage leads us to cry out with joy and gladness to God; it gives us profound reasons to bow down and worship the God who saves us.
We experience Christian freedom when we respond faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ. The gospels tell the story of Jesus Christ reaching out to the lonely, the least, and the lost with love and grace in Jesus Christ. People were presented with numerous opportunities to respond to the gospel message. Some responded with hostility, anger, jealousy, and greed. But others responded with faith and trust. They recognized that what Jesus was offering them was something powerful, something cleansing, something healing. Something that could set them free. They left behind their former lives - fishermen, tax collectors, political rebels, whatever - so that they could follow in the footsteps of their new Master. They became eager learners, students, followers, disciples. They accompanied Jesus on his travels; they supported his ministry with their financial offerings; they were commissioned to go out two-by-two to do acts of mercy in Jesus' name. They grew. They changed. They were freed. Rejoicing in their newfound freedom, they accompanied Jesus triumphantly to Jerusalem, where their faith would be put to the ultimate test. The freedom that the first disciples of Christ experienced is a freedom that can also be ours when we respond faithfully, as they did, to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ. That means letting go of some things we might prefer to hold on to. That means no longer continuing to do things just because "we've always done it that way before." That means stepping out of our comfort zones to embrace a better, richer, fuller life. That means choosing to follow in the footsteps of a certain Master. That means reading and studying and discussing God's word. That means pondering with great sincerity the implications of the gospel for our everyday living. That means becoming more committed to ministry in Christ's name. It may sound scary - perhaps even downright frightening - at first. But I know nobody who has responded faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ and regretted it. Not one single person. On the contrary, I can think of countless individuals whose lives have been richly blessed when they gave Christ more room to work in their hearts and in their lives.
We experience Christian freedom when the Holy Spirit empowers us with boldness and courage to do the challenging things that God is calling us to do. The book of Acts tells the story of the Holy Spirit coming upon Christ's disciples, calling them to spread the gospel far and wide. They cured people from various diseases; they cast out demons; they gave generously to the mission of the church and to the poor in their midst; they brought the gospel message to thousands of people who never would have heard it otherwise. They brought Christian freedom to people who were living in bondage. They faced incredible hardship along the way. They were ridiculed, imprisoned, beaten, and sometimes even killed. Yet they knew how crucial their message was, how vital. They went to great lengths - and great risks - to keep on going. They refused to be deterred, no matter how great the danger. The Holy Spirit came upon them, time and time again, giving them courage and boldness to do what God wanted them to do. (Read the book of Acts and underline all the instances of the words "courage" and "boldness"!) Countless Christians down through the centuries have also been empowered with boldness and courage to do the challenging things that God was calling them to do. Some Christians fought valiantly against the oppressive forces of the Roman Catholic Church when it was in dire need of reformation. Some Christians fought valiantly to free slaves in the New World. Some Christians fought valiantly against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. Some Christians fought valiantly on behalf of civil rights for African Americans. Good, faithful Christians died for all of those causes. Some Christians continue to fight valiantly here in our nation and around the world to bring the gospel message to people and places that aren't always eager to welcome it. These Christians have been compelled by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. And so are we - anytime we muster up the courage necessary to do whatever it is that God is calling us to do. God has given every single one of us a purpose, a destiny, a reason for being. Living into that calling requires courage and boldness . . . which the Holy Spirit is eager to provide.
At the end of our study of Galatians in the Disciple Bible study, I posed the following questions to the participants: "In what ways do you feel that you are not fully experiencing freedom in Christ? To whom or to what are you currently enslaved? How can your faith in Christ lead you to a greater degree of freedom? How can you break free?" I posted the same set of questions on my Facebook page. Michael Hauser responded (publicly) by saying "Those are some great questions." He also suggested that the last question might be better phrased, "How can he set you free?" - and he's right; that is a much better way to put it. A couple days later a friend of mine said that my post (in her words) "inspired me to work on my food addiction." She's telling me that she is "going to replace it with something healthy . . . like starting hand quilting again." Bravo! Here's a woman who is realizing that the life she's living is not the life Christ wants her to live. She's living in bondage; she wants to live in freedom. She's praying to God for deliverance; she's responding faithfully to God's love and grace in Jesus Christ; she's asking the Holy Spirit to empower her with boldness and courage to do the challenging thing that God is calling her to do.
What about you? In what ways do you feel that you are not fully experiencing freedom in Christ? To whom or to what are you currently enslaved? How can your faith in Christ lead you to a greater degree of freedom? How can he set you free?
Peace and blessings,
Bill
April 1, 2012
An Incredible Gift
". . . for in every way you have been enriched in him . . ." (1 Cor. 1:5)
I have been richly blessed.
I recently returned from a week-long conference at Presbyterian Mo Ranch Conference Center, on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the heart of the astounding beauty of the Texas hill country. I was there with 32 other pastors from within our denomination, serving churches from Massachusetts to Alaska. We had all been invited by the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to take part in this special opportunity to examine significant areas of our lives and to discern prayerfully the future direction of our vocation as we respond to God's call in a lifelong process of practice and transformation. The conference was called "Credo," which is a Latin word meaning "I believe" . . . or, at a deeper level, "I give my heart." Basically, the conference intended to enrich our lives in deep and profound ways, so that we might be able to sustain ourselves in ministry more effectively for the long haul and so that our lives might become more of a blessing to the people in the congregations we serve.
It worked.
I cannot begin to describe how powerful this experience was. I never imagined how deeply enriching it would be. One of my colleagues wrote a beautiful poem about the blessings she received during the week, and shared it with the rest of us on our last night together. Another of my colleagues said, "I think coming to this conference has saved my marriage." I said to one of the conference leaders, "I hope you all get as much out of this conference as we pastors do." She replied, "Oh, yes. This is an incredible gift to all of us." I nodded and said, "This week is such an amazing week." Without pausing even for a moment, she smiled and said, "You all are worth it."
Wow. That was humbling.
The conference focused on four areas of our lives: personal finances, health, spirituality, and vocation. Prior to the conference we had been asked to do quite a bit of homework (study and reflection) in each of those four areas. Once at the conference, we spent significant time in plenary sessions and workshops focused on each of those four areas, and were given ample opportunity to have individual consultations with the members of the faculty. The week was bathed with daily worship services (sometimes twice a day) filled with a broad range of Spirit-filled music, uplifting prayers, penetrating scripture readings, and outstanding messages; fellowship in the dining hall with people who started out as strangers and who became friends; deep reflection and rich conversation in small groups; and even fun and games. (Yes, it's true, I did come home with some minor injuries, sustained during a relay game. But I was having fun when it happened!) The week was bathed with laughter and joy - and, at times, some heart-rending, gut-wrenching tears. All in all, an incredibly powerful experience in which people deeply felt the amazing grace of God, the demanding call of Jesus Christ, and the ever-present movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst. I have returned home refreshed, renewed, rejuvenated . . . and, I think, with a spring in my step and a joy in my heart that weren't there before. At least, they weren't there to the extent they are now.
There were numerous times during the week when I thought to myself, "Wow. This is such a life-giving experience. How can I take what I am experiencing here back home to help the good people in Mason? How can individual congregations do the kinds of things for people in our midst that this conference did for those of us who attended it?" For we didn't just skim the surface. This was not just some great week away that leaves you returning home just the way you were. No, on the contrary, this was an experience that has the potential to powerfully and positively shape the entire rest of our lives and the whole way in which we go about doing ministry. If I seem different in any way as a result of attending this conference . . . well, it's probably because I am different.
The over-arching goal of the week was to help us develop our own "Credo Plan." Looking at the whole of our life, what are the three very significant things that God is calling us to do with our lives, right here and right now, given the variety of circumstances we are experiencing in both our personal and professional lives? We were given ample instruction about how to develop such a plan. Then we were given an afternoon and a morning to work on it. Everything needed to be completed and printed by Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm. Then we would be given an opportunity to share a summary of our plan with the whole group, and then we would participate in a worship service in which we would dedicate our plans to the Lord. It all sounded relatively straightforward and do-able . . . until I got stuck.
Sunday morning rolled around and I started to get nervous. It just wasn't coming together. I was having trouble combining everything that I had learned, discovered, experienced, thought about, and prayed about during the week into one coherent whole. I also received a message Sunday morning that both excited me and made me nervous, at the same time. I had about three hours left . . . and I was starting to panic.
It was then that I heard a voice. There was not a soul around me in the lobby of the lodge where I was working, but I distinctly heard a voice. Mind you, I am not a candidate for a mental hospital. I don't usually hear voices in my head. In fact, I cannot recall a time in my life when I have ever heard a voice in my head as clearly as I heard this voice. One sentence, spoken to me as clear as crystal: "Bill, you need to go run."
"Say what?" I thought in reply.
"You need to go run," said the voice.
"I don't have time to run! I've got to get this project done. I'm injured; I'm sore; my tailbone hurts."
"Trust me," said the voice. "You need to go run. You don't need to go far. Just go run across that big bridge and up the big hill on the other side. Just put on your shoes and go." I dropped everything, dashed to my room, changed into my running gear, and out the door I went. Across the big bridge and up the big hill. I had run that direction once before, but it was dark then. Now, it was broad daylight. Coming up the hill, there was a stone open-air chapel on my right . . . and a great big huge cross overlooking the valley below . . . hawks circling around, above and below me . . . nobody else anywhere in sight. Breathtaking.
I stopped. I spent the next 30 minutes walking on the stone perimeter of the central area in the open-air chapel, talking and listening. I talked a lot. I listened a lot. I heard a lot. Everything crystallized with a simple clarity, and clear affirmation of what I needed to do with my assignment. Then came the voice again. "Okay, Bill. You've got this. Now go run back down that hill." And so I did. I ran back down the hill, across the bridge, and back to the lodge. I sat down outside on the balcony outside my room, pulled out my laptop, and cranked out that assignment with energy and vigor and excitement and resolve.
Am I crazy? I sincerely don't think so. I think - no, I know - that I heard God talking to me. To me. Directly. As if my whole life and ministry depended on it.
Maybe it did.
What I learned that day - that week - has powerful and profound implications for my life. And, therefore, for your life. Trust me; it's all good. It's all really, really good. In the weeks and months to come, I am going to be trying to diligently apply what I learned and experienced down there in my daily life and ministry here. I have been richly blessed. And if I do what I know I need to do, you will be richly bessed too.
Trust me. It's all good. it's all really, really good.
Peace and blessings,
Bill
March 1, 2012
Assessing Your Progress
Our mission statement ends with these words: ". . . and fostering spiritual growth." Those words are not just a little tag, added on at the end of the statement as if they were an afterthought. No, on the contrary, spiritual growth is at the heart of what we do here. God calls us - each and every single one of us - to grow in the ways of Jesus Christ. We do not enter this life with all the Christian virtues fully developed in our lives. We each have to take responsibility for managing our life in such a way so that we actually grow in the Christian virtues. We should be able to look back at our lives and think to ourselves, "Yes, I've grown in my walk with Jesus Christ. I've grown in some significant ways."
But how do we measure that? We can't measure spiritual growth the way we can measure growth in our bodies. There's no blood test that can be done in a lab to measure the degree to which we have grown spiritually from one year to the next. We can't go in for an annual physical for an objective assessment of our spiritual vitals. The kind of growth that God is trying to promote in us through Jesus Christ is difficult to measure. It is subjective.
But that should not deter us from trying to measure our spiritual progress in some way. We need some kind of measuring tool, some kind of yardstick to use to see how well we're doing. One such yardstick could be the nine characteristics Paul describes as "the fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23:
Another way to go about this would be to look at the opposite extremes: the characteristics and behaviors that we would do well to try to grow out of. Both of the two lists of virtues that I mentioned above have corresponding lists of vices. In contrast to the "fruit of the Spirit," Paul identifies the "works of the flesh" (Galatians 5:19-21):
This work isn't accomplished overnight. Usually, it requires months or years of hard, disciplined work to reach a point where you have pretty successfully eliminated a vice from your list. Usually, it requires months or years of work to really develop a virtue that you're trying to develop.
What matters most is the effort. Too many people in our world go through life never really attempting to improve their character. Too many people never work to really address their own weaknesses or to build strength where there hadn't been strength before. Too many people just accept "what is" and never try to live into "what might be." Too many people never really try to grow.
But it is possible. It very certainly is possible. The greatest Christians that have ever lived - and the ones who have had the most lasting positive impact on the world around them - are those who have worked hard to eliminate their vices, build their virtues, and develop their Christian character. That's a task that we would all do well to work on, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. As we age, we (and the people who know us well) can look back at our lives and honestly say - with thanksgiving in our hearts - "Wow, look at how much I've grown."
Peace and blessings,
Bill
But how do we measure that? We can't measure spiritual growth the way we can measure growth in our bodies. There's no blood test that can be done in a lab to measure the degree to which we have grown spiritually from one year to the next. We can't go in for an annual physical for an objective assessment of our spiritual vitals. The kind of growth that God is trying to promote in us through Jesus Christ is difficult to measure. It is subjective.
But that should not deter us from trying to measure our spiritual progress in some way. We need some kind of measuring tool, some kind of yardstick to use to see how well we're doing. One such yardstick could be the nine characteristics Paul describes as "the fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23:
- love
- joy
- peace
- patience
- kindness
- generosity
- faithfulness
- gentleness
- self-control
- chastity
- temperance
- charity
- diligence
- patience
- kindness
- humility
Another way to go about this would be to look at the opposite extremes: the characteristics and behaviors that we would do well to try to grow out of. Both of the two lists of virtues that I mentioned above have corresponding lists of vices. In contrast to the "fruit of the Spirit," Paul identifies the "works of the flesh" (Galatians 5:19-21):
- fornication
- impurity
- licentiousness
- idolatry
- sorcery
- enmities
- strife
- jealousy
- anger
- quarrels
- dissensions
- factions
- envy
- drunkenness
- carousing
- and things like these
- lust
- gluttony
- greed
- sloth
- wrath
- envy
- pride
This work isn't accomplished overnight. Usually, it requires months or years of hard, disciplined work to reach a point where you have pretty successfully eliminated a vice from your list. Usually, it requires months or years of work to really develop a virtue that you're trying to develop.
What matters most is the effort. Too many people in our world go through life never really attempting to improve their character. Too many people never work to really address their own weaknesses or to build strength where there hadn't been strength before. Too many people just accept "what is" and never try to live into "what might be." Too many people never really try to grow.
But it is possible. It very certainly is possible. The greatest Christians that have ever lived - and the ones who have had the most lasting positive impact on the world around them - are those who have worked hard to eliminate their vices, build their virtues, and develop their Christian character. That's a task that we would all do well to work on, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. As we age, we (and the people who know us well) can look back at our lives and honestly say - with thanksgiving in our hearts - "Wow, look at how much I've grown."
Peace and blessings,
Bill
February 1, 2012
Memorizing a Prayer
Recently I found myself reflecting on a well-known prayer that was written over half a century ago by Thomas Merton. Merton was a Catholic writer, mystic, Trappist monk, poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion. He was the author of more than seventy books, including an autobiography and numerous books on spirituality. His writings have become well known in broad Christian circles; many Presbyterians today find words of comfort, hope, and strength in Merton's writings. You can learn more about his message and lasting influence at the Merton Institute for Christian Living (www.mertoninstitute.org).
Merton has one particular prayer that has etched its way into many people's hearts, including my own. It goes like this:
MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
What a beautiful prayer, magnificent in its simplicity and its honesty. "The fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so." How absolutely true! "But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you." Amen! "And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing." Indeed!
This prayer is powerful because it speaks. It speaks to our human hearts. There are many things in this world that are worth meditating on, and this prayer is one of those. There are many things in this world that are worth committing to our memory banks. I think this prayer has made it onto that list for me. I have prayed this prayer numerous times over my life, but I think I need to do more than that. I think I need to spend enough time with this prayer that it soaks deep into my soul, to the point where I have it stored permanently within me so that I can pull it out whenever and wherever I feel the need.
What about you? What prayers do you have committed to memory? What prayers have you spent so much time with that they simply have become a part of who you are? Maybe we all need to work on building up our repertoire. . . .
Peace and blessings,
Bill
Merton has one particular prayer that has etched its way into many people's hearts, including my own. It goes like this:
MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
What a beautiful prayer, magnificent in its simplicity and its honesty. "The fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so." How absolutely true! "But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you." Amen! "And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing." Indeed!
This prayer is powerful because it speaks. It speaks to our human hearts. There are many things in this world that are worth meditating on, and this prayer is one of those. There are many things in this world that are worth committing to our memory banks. I think this prayer has made it onto that list for me. I have prayed this prayer numerous times over my life, but I think I need to do more than that. I think I need to spend enough time with this prayer that it soaks deep into my soul, to the point where I have it stored permanently within me so that I can pull it out whenever and wherever I feel the need.
What about you? What prayers do you have committed to memory? What prayers have you spent so much time with that they simply have become a part of who you are? Maybe we all need to work on building up our repertoire. . . .
Peace and blessings,
Bill
January 1, 2012
Offering Our Finest to the Lord
Our finest gifts we bring . . . to lay before the King . . .
I am writing these words in that holy space between Christmas and Epiphany, between the celebration of God's advent on earth in human form and the celebration of the revelation of that advent to all the world. I am thinking about the new year, and I am thinking about the new life that Christ offers to every single one of us that can be ours when we choose to pick up our cross and follow faithfully, wherever Christ might lead.
This year, I had the opportunity to preach a sermon on New Year's Day. That's a relatively rare opportunity in the life of a preacher. I took advantage of that opportunity to offer to the congregation a sermon about becoming the kind of people God is calling us to be . . . a sermon about doing some difficult work to make improvements to our lives in areas that really need improvement . . . a sermon about perseverance in the face of trial and adversity . . . a sermon about how you can bring more satisfaction, self-confidence, fulfillment, hope, serenity, and joy to your life when you do the hard work that God is calling you to do. On one level, the sermon was about making New Year's resolutions that really matter, and then sticking to them when the going gets tough. On another level, the sermon was about growing closer to God . . . which is, after all, the primary goal of a faithful Christian life.
Apparently, the sermon hit home for a number of people. We had only about half the number of people here on New Year's Day that we typically have, but I received quite a bit more enthusiastic comments from people than I usually do. People told me things like "More people needed to be here to hear that message" and "You should have saved that for a day when more people were going to be here" and "You just described my life" and "That was truly excellent" and "That was outstanding" . . . and one very sincere and heartfelt "Thank you." One person that I am aware of immediately set to work (before even leaving the church building!) figuring out how to begin to tackle the biggest challenge they are facing in their life right now. Discussion about the sermon continued on Monday night at the Disciple Bible Study, and when I mentioned to the participants that I was thinking about printing it in the newsletter, they wholeheartedly encouraged me to do so. I'm glad the sermon hit home for a number of people, because in many ways, this sermon describes what I've been trying to do with my life, in several different ways, for a number of years now, and I know how much more satisfaction, self-confidence, fulfillment, hope, serenity, and joy I am feeling in my life now than I did at earlier points in my journey. I know how much more faithful to Jesus Christ I am now than I once was . . . and I keep becoming aware of just how much more I need to grow, and of the challenging work that God is calling me to do to continue to grow in my relationship with God.
So, I offer this sermon to you - once again - here in this newsletter, hoping that those of you who heard it once will find more to gain from it, and hoping that those of you who didn't hear it will sit down with it carefully and prayerfully. Yes, it's long. I know that. It's probably the longest sermon I've ever written. We had no choir anthem, no children's message, and no mission message on that day, so I used that extra time. one of our elders told me afterwards that the Rev. Paul Arnold would occasionally give some very long sermons when he was the Pastor here, many years ago, and that some people complained that they were too long, but that they were really good messages, messages worth hearing. I don't know that this sermon is as good as Rev. Arnold's sermons were . . . but at least I know - from what people told me - that it hit home, for quite a number of you. Read it . . . pray about it . . . live it . . . apply it.
Here's to 2012, and to all the possibilities that it might bring . . . for your life, and for your relationship with God.
Peace and blessings,
Bill
I am writing these words in that holy space between Christmas and Epiphany, between the celebration of God's advent on earth in human form and the celebration of the revelation of that advent to all the world. I am thinking about the new year, and I am thinking about the new life that Christ offers to every single one of us that can be ours when we choose to pick up our cross and follow faithfully, wherever Christ might lead.
This year, I had the opportunity to preach a sermon on New Year's Day. That's a relatively rare opportunity in the life of a preacher. I took advantage of that opportunity to offer to the congregation a sermon about becoming the kind of people God is calling us to be . . . a sermon about doing some difficult work to make improvements to our lives in areas that really need improvement . . . a sermon about perseverance in the face of trial and adversity . . . a sermon about how you can bring more satisfaction, self-confidence, fulfillment, hope, serenity, and joy to your life when you do the hard work that God is calling you to do. On one level, the sermon was about making New Year's resolutions that really matter, and then sticking to them when the going gets tough. On another level, the sermon was about growing closer to God . . . which is, after all, the primary goal of a faithful Christian life.
Apparently, the sermon hit home for a number of people. We had only about half the number of people here on New Year's Day that we typically have, but I received quite a bit more enthusiastic comments from people than I usually do. People told me things like "More people needed to be here to hear that message" and "You should have saved that for a day when more people were going to be here" and "You just described my life" and "That was truly excellent" and "That was outstanding" . . . and one very sincere and heartfelt "Thank you." One person that I am aware of immediately set to work (before even leaving the church building!) figuring out how to begin to tackle the biggest challenge they are facing in their life right now. Discussion about the sermon continued on Monday night at the Disciple Bible Study, and when I mentioned to the participants that I was thinking about printing it in the newsletter, they wholeheartedly encouraged me to do so. I'm glad the sermon hit home for a number of people, because in many ways, this sermon describes what I've been trying to do with my life, in several different ways, for a number of years now, and I know how much more satisfaction, self-confidence, fulfillment, hope, serenity, and joy I am feeling in my life now than I did at earlier points in my journey. I know how much more faithful to Jesus Christ I am now than I once was . . . and I keep becoming aware of just how much more I need to grow, and of the challenging work that God is calling me to do to continue to grow in my relationship with God.
So, I offer this sermon to you - once again - here in this newsletter, hoping that those of you who heard it once will find more to gain from it, and hoping that those of you who didn't hear it will sit down with it carefully and prayerfully. Yes, it's long. I know that. It's probably the longest sermon I've ever written. We had no choir anthem, no children's message, and no mission message on that day, so I used that extra time. one of our elders told me afterwards that the Rev. Paul Arnold would occasionally give some very long sermons when he was the Pastor here, many years ago, and that some people complained that they were too long, but that they were really good messages, messages worth hearing. I don't know that this sermon is as good as Rev. Arnold's sermons were . . . but at least I know - from what people told me - that it hit home, for quite a number of you. Read it . . . pray about it . . . live it . . . apply it.
Here's to 2012, and to all the possibilities that it might bring . . . for your life, and for your relationship with God.
Peace and blessings,
Bill
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