But let's not get carried away. I don’t know how it all worked out for you, especially if you have kids cooped up in the house but for Carolyn and I just worked out great! It was just she and I, along with our faithful dog Princess Oreo. The power stayed on, so it was warm and cozy. The TV stayed on, so we had stuff to watch and the internet stayed on so we kept in touch with the world. The pantry was well stocked so we had lots of yummy stuff to eat and so all of this means one thing: it was a time to hit the pause button on life. Time to stop. Sit down. Be quiet. Rest. Snooze a bit. Snow days or not, I think escaping from the hassles of everyday living is something that we all need to do every now and then. Seasons of snoozing and refreshment are good, that way we can hit the hassles of life refreshed and renewed.
Outside was a winter wonderland, and if you’re on my Face Book page you saw poor Oreo literally swimming through two feet of snow in the back yard in a desperate search for adequate bathroom facilities (see above).
So here we are, two days cooped up away from the world and I was ready for more when all of a sudden work reared it’s ugly head for us both. We dug our way out (or Carolyn and the neighbors did, I can’t due to the broken arm) and we escaped back to the land of the living.
I made it in to work.
I guess I was a little grumpy.
Yup. It is winter.
There is a great book that I’ve been reading by Mark Buchannan entitled “Spiritual Rhythm.” It talks about the different seasons in life, likening the times of our lives to the seasons. Interestingly, it started with winter. I read the winter section. I read it again. I read the spring section. I went back to the winter. I haven’t gotten to summer or autumn yet. I don’t feel summer or autumn right now. I feel winter, I long for spring.
In spring or summer stuff is happenings and things are going well and you feel the presence of God: you feel him working in your life and sometimes it is easy to base your faith on this perceived movement of God and the Holy Spirit. But then comes winter and you feel the presence of the Lord no more. Maybe you just can’t see him (probably). Maybe he really has backed off from you. Either way, where once was power and movement is now … nothing.
Buchannan says in winter it is easy for us to not see God. The dangers here are obvious, as it is in winter that faith can be lost. How do we guard against that? Buchannan has the ready answer. You base your faith not on experiential things nor on perceived leanings and actions, but you squarely root your faith in that one solid anchor that we have: Scripture.
Experiences come and experiences go, but the Word of the Lord is eternal. Good times come and good times go, but the Word of the Lord is eternal. Root your faith on The Word. And that, says Buchannan, is Faith.
Closed Circuit for Oak Manorites:
Winter is hitting us all a hard one. At this point it appears that we will have services on Sunday, but the Board Meeting scheduled for this time and the potluck dinner is on hold for at least a week.
Also on hold this week is the Dave Whitmire Prayer Group. All of the above will probably happen next week.
I would pass on just a couple of our many prayer concerns. Dean Davis had his cataract surgery this past week, so far so good. Janice Whitmire’s dad, Archie fell. He has a black eye and some bruises. Doctors say his diabetes is affecting his balance, and lately he falls easily. Jackie Linzy's surgery is on hold. My appointment with the surgeon has been rescheduled to Monday. I’m afraid of what all he’s going to have in store for me, but on the other hand I’m ready to git r done!
So much more that we are praying about, we’ll update them Sunday morning. I’ll see you then!
Pastor Mackster
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