The First Day of the Rest of our Lives

Well, today we embark on something new. The church voted 35 Yes, 3 No, and 1 Abstain to "Uphold Pastor's (Anthony's) call and prayerfully support him in his study of law...." At the meeting Anthony got up and spoke. He gave support for his law study from his Letter of Call, from the Constitution of the ELCA and from Scripture. People were moved and I believe touched by the Holy Spirit. On the one hand it's a great relief because I didn't want to leave this place or these people, on the other hand the budget that was voted for decreased his salary by 25%. I was at first angry because the congregation has basically said they believe Anthony can fulfill the terms of his Call while studying law, yet still decreased his salary.

BUT THEN, in prayer I had an epiphany - quiet, nothing grand but still an epiphany. For the last 1-2 years I have been a terrible steward of the financial gifts God has given this family and now we have an amazing opportunity to really pin down our priorities and do God's will. It gets back to that too much stuff I talked about a week ago. Granted, a fair amount of our finances has gone to pay for medical bills, but still we buy and collect too much. I guess having things gives us some kind of security, but it's a false security because things aren't going to sustain and nourish us -- only God will.

I do believe, even more so now than a couple days ago, that God is really leading this and orchestrating it and that we have nothing to worry about. We need to take care of the necessary details but God will care for us and we will make it through praising and glorifying him (or her as the case may be but that's another blog for later on).

So Scripture for today:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb, 12:1-2

The first thing that comes to mind is WOW. I get these daily lessons from my home website (MyWay.com) and they are just "random." No Lectionary etc., and this is the one for today! Isn't this just what we need to do at this juncture of our lives? Throw off that STUFF that is hindering us from doing God's work... I am including a photo of a lovely Bleeding Heart flower from my garden - I always think of Jesus and his sacrifice when I see this flower. Enjoy, and blessings to all who visit.