BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN. That’s where I am---back pastoring until the new under-shepherd arrives. What a privilege it is to serve my congregation in this capacity---and knowing that it is under the plan and direction of Almighty God!

I am blessed to be working with a team that assists me as we seek to give leadership to the people of LCC. We want to see God move in our midst and help us fulfill our mission, which is really His mission!

I must admit that I was a bit tired after the first week and especially after the first Sunday at the helm...preached twice and led an adult Bible study. I had no problem sleeping that night! But it was a good tired. It always feels good to know that you did your best to touch someone’s life in some significant way.

I look forward to see what the Lord is going to do in the ensuing weeks. I have asked Him to explode my mind with His thoughts so that I might challenge, inspire, and motivate God’s people and prepare them for another stage in the church’s life. It is with eager expectation that I move forward under His direction, believing that He is going to pour out His blessings upon us.

Nothing great has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that God was superior to any circumstance. First John 4:4 says, Greater is he that is in you, than he who is in the world.” Don’t put water in your own boat; the storm will put enough in on its own. Don’t dream up thousands of reasons why you can’t do what you want to; find one reason why you can. It is easier to do all the things you should do than spend the rest of your life wishing you had…Building a case against yourself is like a microscope—it magnifies trifling things but cannot receive great ones. Move ahead with dogged determination and expect the best.

I’ve dreamed many dreams that never came true,
I’ve seen them vanish at dawn;
But I’ve realized enough of my dreams, thank God,
To make me want to dream on.

I’ve prayed many prayers, when no answer came,
Though I waited patient and long:
But answers have come to enough of my prayers,
To make me keep praying on.

I’ve trusted man a friend who failed,
And left me to weep alone;
But I’ve found enough friends true blue,
To make me keep trusting on.

I’ve sown many seeds that fell by the way,
For the birds to feed upon;
But I’ve held enough golden sheaves in my hand,
To make me want to keep sowing on.

I’ve drained the cup of disappointment and pain,
And gone many days without song;
But I’ve sipped enough nectar from the roses of life,
To make me want to live on.
-Anon

TODAY I BEGIN A NEW ADVENTURE in ministry. I have been appointed “Interim Senior Pastor” of my church, Lighthouse Community of Kalamazoo Michigan. Please allow me to share how I feel about this assignment in one word descriptions as follows:

o Excited
o Enthused
o Challenged
o Humbled
o Dependent
o Blessed
o Joyful

I mean, how many times does a retired pastor get the opportunity to serve his very own congregation—that which he is a part of---in this capacity? I look forward to preaching regularly again for a while. My very first sermon on the 23rd of August will be “A Season of Change.” Appropriate, don’t you think? No doubt this transition period will mean new and different challenges, but I am confident that the old ship of Zion (of which Lighthouse is a part) will set the sails to catch the winds of change and keep on course--propelled by the grace of God.

We live in a world that spins with constant change in an orbit of perpetual flux. Therefore, it is good to remember that in our changing world, God’s promises stand as a sure foundation. Every promise is yes and amen. What God said He will do, He will do. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. God doesn’t separate Himself from His Word. Not one line, not one jot, not one period in God’s Word will ever change, till everything is fulfilled.

It’s good to know that Jesus isn’t going anywhere—Hebrews 13:5-“I will never leave you or forsake you.”

God is not just God of the mountaintop, He is God in the valley. He is closer to us in the trials of life, whether we are in the fire or in the storm. He is ever present to help us in the times of trouble and in the times of need.
He is “a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother”—Proverbs 18:24—Jesus is closer to us than anyone else. He is that friend above all friends. He will be there till the end of time and on into eternity.

When it is all said and done, it will all be said and done—and Jesus will be there in victory and power and might and glory. At the end of time, at the end of your life, Jesus will be there for you, to carry you, to comfort you.

So let us welcome change with open arms, knowing that nothing catches God off guard. He knows the end from the beginning and will give us the strength and wisdom to work our way through.

DID YOU SEE THE PIECE ABOUT THE CABBIE IN VERMONT WHO DOESN’T CHARGE A FEE? Eric Hagen, of Essex, Vermont wants to do something positive and uplifting in light of the downturn in the economy. He started “Recession Ride Taxi.” Everyone wanted to know if the sign “Pay What You Want!” on the back of his taxi was for real. Well, it is, and Hagen says he hasn’t been shortchanged yet. He offers to pay-what-you-can bottles of water, Gatorade and soda and a free ride after six paid fares.

He tells the Burlington Free Press that business has been good. Most of his transactions are in cash. But he’s also received a CD from a musician and a $10 supermarket card.

The operation is already profitable because it’s just him---a one-man endeavor. His only major expense so far has been taxi insurance.

Hagen has been offering his taxi service Thursday through Sunday nights since June. When he’s not a taxi driver, the 46-year-old Hagen works full time for the American Red Cross, where he sets up blood drives

He sees doing away with prices as a revolutionary form of consumer empowerment: Trust people to be honest and allow them to work within their own means can become the basis of a viable business, he believes---and he seems to be hoping that “Recession Ride” will spark imitators in a wide range of industries. He believes that smaller and more adaptable business models are the wave of the future.

Now there’s a man who believes in the American way—hard work, ingenuity, and generosity. He hopes that he can “give people a break” during tough economic times. A good role model for all of us, don’t you think? With all the greed and corruption on Wall Street, isn’t it refreshing to know that there are still folks out there who put people before money? I say, “Three cheers for Eric!” May his example motivate others to “go and do likewise.”

I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW RUDE PEOPLE HAVE BECOME BEHIND THE WHEEL! Where is everyone going in such a hurry? Is it really necessary to cut drivers off as one makes his/her way through traffic? Of course there have always been rude people, but it seems to me that it’s getting worse by the day. I can’t drive across town to pick up my wife from work without experiencing some form of idiotocracy. (Is that a word?). In any case, it has been said that if you really want to know what folks are like on the inside, just observe their driving habits.

Paul Harvey’s, “What It’s Worth Department” related a story from Hershey, Pennsylvania that serves as an example. It seems that a woman in a Mercedes had been waiting patiently for a parking place to open up. The shopping mall was crowded. She zigzagged between rows—then up ahead she saw a man with a load of packages head for his car.

She drove up and parked behind him and waited while he opened his trunk and loaded it with packages. Finally he got in his car and backed out of the spot. But before the woman in the Mercedes could drive into the parking place, a young man in a shiny new Corvette zipped past and around her and he pulled into the empty space and got out and started walking away.

“Hey!” shouted the woman in the Mercedes. “I’ve been waiting for that spot!” The young man said, “Sorry, lady; that’s how it is when you’re young and quick.”

At that instant she put her Mercedes in gear, floor-boarded it, and crashed into and crushed the right fender and corner panel of the flashy new Corvette. Now the young guy is jumping up and down shouting, “What’s the matter with you lady? You can’t do that!” The lady in the Mercedes said, “That’s how it is when you’re old and rich!”

Serves him right, don’t you think? Not really; I mean I’m not advocating revenge, but it is kind of funny.

So the next time you act like a jerk behind the wheel, just remember you might have to deal with a lady in a Mercedes.