This past Tuesday, I gave a short message for the 8 am Devotional Time at the Coronado Stone manufacturing plant. I am always heartened and encouraged by the ones who take their break time to come and listen to the Word of God. I am still amazed that an owner of a company will offer a time of day for spiritual uplift in our day and time. My devotional talk was on the motives that we have in daily decisions -- are we motivated by greed or are we guided by the principle of generosity. Greed versus generosity. That is important in today's society. We as Christians must have the mind of Christ, which moves us to giving and serving and ministering and generosity!
On Wednesday, we had our midweek Bible study time at the church. I led the study on the passage in the gospel of John where Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection from the grave. Besides the actual text and comments, I took time to help those attending to memorize the names of the 12 disciples. Most people do not know them by heart -- Simon Peter, Andrew (Simon's brother), James and John (the sons of Zebedee), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Thaddeus Lebbeus (Jude), Simon the Canaanite, James the son of Alpheus, and Judas Iscariot. There were several who were willing to repeat the names from memory from just those few minutes of learning. It was fun.
On Thursday evening, Evan came home from work. It was May 12, his birthday. He asked for Mexican food, specifically for chili rellenos. So we had enchiladas, rice, beans, chips and homemade chili rellenos. He said he wanted cheesecake for his birthday dessert. So, Sondra made a homemade cheesecake with cherries on top! Shawn and Crystal and Bailey came over for the festivites also. Evan was all smiles as he opened his birthday bags, showing the clothes he had picked out when he went shopping with Sondra a few days earlier!
It is interesting that he was born 34 years ago at the Kaiser Hospital about 5 minutes from where we live now. When he was born, I had quit my job at Kaiser Steel and we sold our home, as I made the commitment to return to college for ministry preparation.
Just two months earilier of that very year, 1977, I fully surrendered to the call of the ministry. I realized and understood without hesitation or reservation that God had called me to serve as a pastor in ministry. I have never regretted it, and I have found great joy and contentment in that call. I have never questioned it, as I know beyond any doubt that God has guided my steps all these years in both sweet times and hard times. No regrets!
Yesterday (Friday), Crystal was not feeling well at all. She left work early and went straight to bed. We picked up Bailey from day care and took her to the park before coming home. We had Bailey overnight to help give Crystal some time to get well and not pass on any sickness to Bailey. It seems as if time kind of comes to standstill, when there is a two-year old in the house! We stop and pay attention to her and have a great time.
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