Day Forty Two

One of the interesting aspects of being in Montana is that there is a two hour time difference between here and Archbold, so as the congregation worships on Sunday morning, we are still waiting to go to worship this morning.  I began with prayer for our congregation's worship, for the worship leaders and for the worshipers.  We will go with my mother to her church once again, as it is a rare blessing to worship the Lord alongside my mother.

The past week has been filled with activity, and with times of relaxation and renewal.  We spent Monday thru Wednesday traveling to, enjoying and returning from Glacier National Park.  Driving by a snow field 10' high in the mountain pass was wondrous!  We saw some fantastic scenery, saw a mountain sheep, hiked to some beautiful water falls, and were fogged in at the summit!  The formation of the earth truly is amazing, with glacial affect and the variety of God's vast display of rock, water, vegetation and animal life.  The trip up and back was about 7 hours one way as we took the less traveled routes and enjoyed scenic drives.

The past four days have been spent at my mother's house - a cottage apartment that is part of a large senior citizens complex.  When my older sister and I helped move my mother last year to this new place, several things were left undone, not knowing my mother would wait for the next visit from one of her children!  So we have rearranged furniture, hung pictures and curtains, and fixed a few odds and ends.  My mother's failing eyesight has stabilized, but she has trouble reading printed instructions or reading her thermostat, so we have been helping her learn and remember various items to help her on a day to day basis.  It's a blessing to help her around her home

Tomorrow, July 1st, I will begin to follow more of a regimen in my daily schedule as I start to put in place some of the guidance I've been reading about in my pastoral books.  For the past couple of years I have been less than systematic in my morning and evening schedules, which I attribute to a wearing out of my soul at times.  This blessed time of sabbatical has given much restoration and I look forward to getting back to earlier routine, with additional focuses pointed out in my reading and from my time at Moody.  Waking earlier, at the same time, reading and praying for a set time, with more emphasis on personal prayer, and a new regimen on worship and sermon preparation will be some of the aspects I will be addressing.  Into that mix will be more of a physical exercise program, too!  Lynne has been very helpful in prompting daily walks!

Lynne and my mother get along tremendously, which makes living together for more than a few days much easier!

I find my river of life being renewed in so many ways as God directs the course of my days as a river is directed by its banks.  The Lord is channeling my energy and devotion while I splash over and around activities and lessons, just as a river splashes over and around rocks in the river bed.  How blessed life is to be so directed by the Lord,

And yet so many don't have such direction.  As we went to a farmer's market yesterday, I saw a man wearing a disturbing t-shirt.  Pictured on the front was a group of men sitting around a poker table.  One of the men was portrayed as Jesus - with a halo around his head.  Two words on the shirt - "ante, Christ."  The depiction of the meaning of Jesus putting in his ante for the hand of poker was disturbing - what a sad, sad jibe at our Lord.  One of the lessons I'm reading about has to do with evangelization - sharing the truth of scripture with those who don't know Christ.  I look forward to God's continual leading in our mutual ministry.

I will try and be more regular in posting to my blog!  Just got my laptop back as the hard drive crashed!

Blessings on this Sabbath day.

Erich

Day Thirty Six

We are staying in Whitefish, Montana tonight and tomorrow night as we explore Glacier National Park.  My family visited Glacier in 1976 and I remember the beauty of what we will see once again tomorrow.  We will travel along Going to the Sun Highway, a 50 mile journey, one way, and hike to a glacier or two.  My mother is doing well, and what a blessing it is to enjoy her motherly hospitality once again! We worshipped with her on Sunday, at her church, Grand Avenue Christian Church, part of the Disciples of Christ.  I will preach there on July 14. The book I am reading has been a great background as I listen to others preach and I am discerning a new system/schedule of study for when I return home.  The discovery readings continue to keep me in touch with the church's study of Acts.

My focus continues to be on deepening my pastoral gifts and exploring how I can enhance my pastoral care, and I am learning much from my visits to other churches.  My absence from St. John's continues to be felt as I miss familiar faces and friendly conversations!  I pray that The Lord has continued to bless the ministry of our church.

Erich

Day Thirty Three

Today we drive to Bozeman, Montana, to see my mother.  The past week has been one of traveling and sightseeing. Hiking the past two days has provided wonderful view of God's creation.  I've picked up several sermon illustrations and have been processing my meditations with God.  It's been peaceful to be free from stress and worry as we enjoy seeking God's directions for our ministry.  Another 9+ hours on the road today. So far we have blessed with safety, friendliness while traveling thru various cities, and blessed clear weather.  Amy arrived home last night for a couple of weddings and Ryan comes home this weekend from counseling at a science camp at ONU.  We trust they will enjoy some sibling time together before Amy heads back to Biloxi.

Day Twenty Eight

A good day of travel yesterday, through scenic areas of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa.  Worshipped at New Testament Christian Church this morning. Pastor is retiring in October after 39 years with church. He was full of energy and offered a great message on parenting, using a video clip from the Courageous movie.  And a very welcoming church - we were greeted by so many people before, during and after the service. The pastor prayed for Lynne and I as we talked with him before the service. Sermon was based on story of Jacob and Esau, with an outline from Gary Smalley, about how parents can love their children, which I have saved for a future sermon!

First Father's Day in which I didn't see either of my children, but heard from both of them!

Lynne and I visited historic sites in Fort Madison, saw a fawn trotting through a neighborhood, and watched a barge go thru a lock on the river.

Read a few chapters in my book about the calling and office of being a pastor - very clarifying work about the servant leadership role of a pastor.

Tomorrow morning we drive to Kearney, Nebraska, another long drive but we will stay there two nights and explore some frontier sites.  Should be in Montana Friday evening.

We continue to pray for the St. John's congregation daily.

Day Twenty Seven

We leave this morning on our journey to Montana. We came home from the summer mission trip Friday afternoon, unpacked, washed clothes, re-prepped the truck, repacked and got a good nights sleep.  We are headed to Keokuk, Iowa today, along the Mississippi River.  Ryan goes to a friends wedding today and then spends a week at Ohio Northern Univ as a science camp counselor and Amy comes home Thursday for about ten days for a couple of weddings.

The past week of working with Habitat was another blessing.  It's always good to work with tools!  And to work alongside a group of Christian servants that have a desire to share Christ's love with others.

We will be driving long stretches so we can spend two or three nights in one place and enjoy the local areas. Lynne has enjoyed mapping out a route for us to follow.  We are headed west on route 24 for a change of pace from driving via Chicago.

Today I begin reading my next book - On Being A Pastor, Understanding Our Calling and Work, co-authored by Alistair Begg, a speaker at the Moody pastors conference.

I continue to praise God for this time of renewal and the blessings of each day.

Day Twenty-One

Today we drove from Jordan, MN to Sawyer, MI, about a 500, 9 hour trip - long day!  Our family reunion concluded with worshipping at my sister's church.  They have one service at 9am, and it was another blessed experience.  Sermon was on Elijah and what kind of God do we believe in and serve.  Picked up some further thoughts regarding serving communion, use of the screen during worship, and flow of service. 

Our family reunion was a good time of family togetherness - it was good to spend time with my mother, three of my siblings and several of my nieces and nephews.  Everyone headed back home today and we are making plans for our November family gathering (in November so my mom can travel from Montana before snow makes travel difficult at her local airport!).

It was a great joy to arrive at Tower Hill Church Camp this evening and be greeted by the group from St. John's - a little taste of what it will be like to reconnect once the sabbatical time is over.  Lynne, Ryan and I look forward to working with the group to build another Habitat house.

The news of Beth Wanemacher's death certainly brought sadness to our day.  Our prayers are with her family and friends, and I will return to Archbold for the services.  My last conversation with Beth was one of faith and hope as she shared her steadfast faith in her Lord.  Beth's testimony of faith has been a great lesson in my own spiritual journey.  May God's peace be with Joel, Amy & Chris, Mindy & Travis, Carrie, and Beth's siblings.

In our travels we have been relying on a new piece of equipment - a garmin gps system.  What an amazing tool to direct and guide us through huge cities like Chicago and Madison, around rural areas and finding area attractions.  As Christians we have such a tool to guide our spiritual journey, and how blessed we are to have the Word of God to read, study and obey. 

Day Eighteen

We've spent the full day in Jordan, Minnesota, with my mother, sister Reba, and sister Sarah and her three teenage boys.  Sarah's oldest, Cody, graduated from high school last weekend and his graduation party is tomorrow, Friday evening.  We spent much of the afternoon cutting up fruits and vegetables for two different types of salads, and tomorrow we will help with final prep work!  The prep work has provided plenty of time for conversation as we catch up with one another.  Our oldest brother and his family will join us tomorrow, too.  Sarah is my sister that is on oxygen 24/7 and continues to cope with a lung disease which drastically affects her overall help.  It's a blessing to be able to spend some extended time with her and her boys.

We will enjoy some sights in the area on Saturday, will worship with the family at Sarah's church, and then Lynne, Ryan and I will head to Sawyer, Michigan for the week's mission trip with Habitat.  It will be about an 8 hour drive on Sunday, but we will have been well rested for it.

God continues to supply great moments of rest and reflection as I've been reading a couple of books purchased at the pastor's conference at Moody Bible Institute.  More on those books later.

Day Fourteen

Sunday, June 2nd, and we are in Chicago.  Following four days of work and preparation at home, Ryan, Lynne and I settled in Elmhurst, IL, last night for a two day stay.  Tomorrow we will move on to Madison, Wisc., for two days, and then to Minn. for our family reunion. 

On this day of Sabbath rest, I am grateful for an opportunity to worship at a Christian Reformed Church, which we found through a Garmin search.  Following worship and lunch, we will explore a bit of Chicago by walking in a park and taking a boating excursion.  Times of rest and wonder to offset some days of intense work!

The past four days have been ones of thanksgiving:

• For time to catch up on projects at home
• For so many different tools to take care of a wide variety of projects
• For the people of my past who taught me how to use those tools
• For Lynne and Ryan working beside me
• For the resources to buy the necessary materials
• For the congregation of St. John's for allowing me the time away
• For Discovery readings that continue to speak the word of God to me
• For times of prayer in which I praise God and seek His wisdom
• For blessed neighbors who will keep a close eye on the home while we are away, and who will mow the yard, water the plants, and even take trash to the curb!  We are blessed to have Tim & Jamie right next door!  They even brought over a plate of chocolate chip cookies for us!
• Amy is settling in well at BBM (Back Bay Mission), though Craig has told her some stories about me (like jumping to the ground from a house floor 12' in the air)!

I have started an outline for a book, telling stories of ministry from my pastoral encounters with people, both humorous and faith enriching.  I pray God directs my thoughts as I compile a book of Christian faith and ministry.

My cup indeed runneth over!

Erich