What a week!

Ecclesiastes 3 begins with, "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die." This week has felt like an entire season for me. It began with our family taking a meal to the Perkins family on Monday. They had a baby last week. On the way home we stopped to see another family who has been coming to our church since Easter. It was a short visit, but we really connected and without going in to a lot of detail, we left saying our visit was a "God thing." When we got home I got a call that Christy Moore's sister was in the hospital. On the way out the door I got another call that she had passed away. I sat with Jr. & Christy at the St. Francis Emergency Room. On Sunday we go to Camp Edisto for Senior High Week of Camp. I'm speaking and teaching. Two weeks later I go to Intermediate Week of Camp. I just recently found out that I'm now the Dean of that week. I went to the hospital with a good friend who is struggling with depression. I had a wedding on Wednesday. Today we had the Memorial Service for Christy's sister. I also got a call today that Carrie Nesbitt at our church had a baby girl. Mom is doing good but baby Allyson needs prayer for an underdeveloped lung and labored breathing. All week long we've had the city of Hollywood digging up sewage pipes along the edge of our property running parallel with the Greenway (it's a long, smelly story). One day they cut our phone lines. And then just the regular stuff of sermon, planning a new series, small group, office stuff, etc. (oh yeah - the copier went down and my truck was in the shop). It's been quite a week.

But before you think I'm complaining or asking for sympathy, let me assure you I'm not. I love what I do. And truthfully, although I'm a little tired tonight I've seen God at work all week long. Two babies born in the last couple of weeks! Wow! Every time I see a newborn baby, I'm reminded just how how fragile and precious life really is. They're sooo tiny. I'm also blown away all over again that "God became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us." Even in the tragic death of Christy's sister I've seen God's faithfulness. The Moore's have been through so much this year and as Jr. and I stood in the parking lot of the E.R. I heard him say that it was all about Jesus and that Jesus would see them through. He ministered to me. I'm also so proud of how our church responds and loves people. We had a great opportunity today to reach out and love a lot of people and we knocked it out of the park! My friend who is struggling had a breakthrough and I saw signs of my old friend. Tomorrow we have a Baptism Service at Folly Beach County Park. It's just one of the best things I get to do. Several of the students that I'll be baptizing tomorrow - I was there when they were born. Now I'm there celebrating their new birth! Is that awesome or what? And the guys who have been digging up pipes all week decided to clear away some underbrush on our property as a way of making up for all the inconvenience. In our Creative Team meeting this week we had some great ideas for our upcoming series, "Reel to Real." We are all jacked. It's so amazing how the Holy Spirit works through the planning process. It's great to have Jeremiah on staff. He's been here for a year now and I've seen a lot of growth in him. He is a huge asset to our church. We need an administrative assistant at the church - yesterday! On Father's Day, strap it on tight, because I'll be talking about our vision and our future.

You see, most of life is really about our attitude and the choices we make. I'm choosing to ask God to help me see life and people through His eyes. And when I do that, it's amazing what I see. What am I seeing? God is at work, lives are being changed, Jesus is being lifted up, and God is drawing people to Himself! See you over the weekend! (Keep praying for the copier and the truck.)