10/6/2018
Sometimes I’m amazed at how a day unfolds and the odd way time-consuming events step in with which to be dealt. Yesterday, just before I was to leave the Blue Jug store, a tall athletic looking lady came in (guessing 50-55 years old) and asked me to tell her the benefits of Alkalinity. She then asked to sit and I got her a chair. She was wearing a walking cast (“boot”) and using a cane. In the course of the explanation, I asked her what happened to her foot, and her story went like this.
“Two years ago I was training for a tri-athlete competition on my bike, and at about 20mph a large dog came out of nowhere, not seeing me, nor me seeing it. I had no time to hit the brakes and hit him straight on; we tumbled and I found myself sprawled across the middle of the road, having flown through the air, and hitting the pavement. Several months later, after having repairs to 7 broken bones and multiple ligament/cartilage mendings, I was trying to figure out rehab. The long slow program had begun but was difficult from a chair. Now, I am able to get around and I come up with a stress fracture in my left foot, not knowing how that occurred.”
“My employer’s daughter and son-in-law get this water from you and I want to know if you think it will help me.”
I told her about our water, she took a free gallon with the promise to come back at near closing time to get more to take home with her. What a tragic story! Even though this happened two years ago, we could easily see the athleticism in her, though I’m sure, just from muscle loss alone, she’s probably 15-20 pounds lighter than before the accident. If she continues to stop in and we get to watch her recovery, more interesting aspects will surely come to light. …People lead interesting lives, do they not?
This is another beautiful Saturday morning, with a birthday party to attend this afternoon. Musing a bit about a conversation I had yesterday afternoon with a man who is sure of his salvation, but had two different times in his life he noted as possibly when he got saved.(?) OK, not my salvation. But I’m hoping he gets that settled “down deep” as the Lord said. I asked him to describe both times and he concentrated his explanation on the latest one. If he’s saved, I agree with that story. The first was sketchy about whether it was just emotion, etc. Hopefully, I used the correct references to make the point that salvation is a moment of trust—trust in the work Christ has done for us. Done at Calvary, finished by resurrection, told by Paul, sealed by God, the Father with His Holy Spirit. Hopefully.
A pastor friend has resigned a church he was at for 8 years and is moving to central Texas, about 80 miles North of where we were. He is starting a new phase of his ministry there with family. We’ll be praying for him and his wife and watching with great interest.
When a man chooses to start a bible centered and Spirit led ministry there are several things I know will happen: first, an enemy will show up, he’ll be in many forms and what he wants more than anything else is to stop the testimony of the saving power of the gospel of Christ (Rom.1:16.) Secondly, the preacher/teacher will make mistakes, a few, perhaps many, and some will hurt. But, he shall not fail because he makes mistakes and must remember “our sufficiency is of God” and not man.
Thirdly, though he should keep records of where his support comes from for future references, he should never consciously take note of who it comes from on any sort of scale, i.e., and let it form preferences or favoritism. That’s vital, but not difficult if he remembers the second note above.
Fourth and last but not least, he should work at his ministry like it is his full-time job. And most of his time, like most of the time on a normal full-time job, is taken up by preparation. Study. That’s the preparation. And study is work. And you are never done. You work, we’ll pray.
Multiple SIMH today, none of good noteworthiness.
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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