Willingness

Clyde on Zoom with the kiddos this week.

I am just coming off of our second ZOOM Bible study.  In the last two weeks our church has jumped into the 21st century in all sorts of ways.  We even had a really wonderful (but kind of awful) hymn sing on Zoom last Sunday night.  The last few weeks have been a wild ride, and I continue to wonder if I'm doing enough, doing too much, and how to connect, connect, connect....but not physically.  

In the midst I have been so completely overwhelmed by the willing spirit of my faith community.  It is easy to be afraid of new things, especially when there is a lot to learn and it is all of a sudden thrown at you full speed.  The church is notorious for being S-L-O-W to change and it is often hard to really get people to engage new and out-of-the-box ideas for ministry.  But nearly every single day since this started I have had someone call me that is trying to jump online, get engaged, and is just needing a bit of help and reassurance. I too, have asked for help from friends more in the last three weeks than I can count. 

You guys...WE ARE DOING IT and in the process we are learning a bit more about each other.  The gift of seeing one another's faces cannot be measured, even when the technology is a little goofy sometimes.  So tonight I just want to thank all of you for being so grace-filled and encouraging even in the midst of isolation.  

In a passage of his letter to the Romans that talks about generosity Paul wrote, "For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has - not according to what one does not have."  (Romans 8:12) There are so many factors at work in our experiences right now, from fear to joy, from lack to abundance.  It is easy to assume that the gifts we have to offer cannot be put to work right now, but that is not the case.  What you have to offer and who you are, are exactly the "things" our community needs right now.  Thanks for showing up, even when it is difficult.  

God place us in each one another's lives for a reason.   I am thankful that you are in mine!

Have a good night,
Pastor Devon