Alone . . .

I have spent the last couple of days pretty much alone. Dan is out west having a blast getting re-acquainted with his old high school classmates as they celebrate their 30 year class reunion. Burke has been with his maternal grandparents in South Bend.

I don’t like being alone, but there are times when God arranges it that way. I stubbornly submit! Having this time has brought me face to face with certain reality checks. I realize that being who I am has it’s consequences. When Jesus told His disciples, “Take up your cross and follow me,” there was more than just a directive being given. His statement to them was actually a clue for all future disciples.

There are certain crosses to bear in this Christian life and journey. Sometimes it will be lonely. Sometimes there will be sacrifice involved. Oftimes, friends will be scarce—depending on the weather. There are times when the Lord will want you to Himself. And, if we listen and cooperate, He will speak to us and give us exactly what we need to sustain us.

I feel I experienced some of that this weekend.

I’m not a loner and never will be. But, my weekend of solitude has given me a little more confidence and developed my character just a little bit more.

Blessings to you……Pastor Randy

“You’ve got to be willing to do the things today that others won’t do, in order to have the things tomorrow others won’t have”!
–Les Brown, Motivational Speaker

Just Stay

A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.”Your son is here,” she said to the old man. She had to repeat the words several times before the patient’s eyes opened. He was heavily sedated because of the pain from his heart attack; he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.

The nurse brought a chair so the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lit ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering him words of love and strength.

Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine take a break and rest awhile. He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and the night noises of the hospital. Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son’s hand all through the night.

Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. “Who was that man?” he asked. The nurse was startled, “He was your father,” she answered. “No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I never saw him before in my life.”

“Then why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?” “I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he needed his son, and his son just wasn’t here. When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son, knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.”

The next time someone needs you…just be there. Stay.

Blessings to you……Pastor Randy

From The Pastor’s desk…

Did you ever ask yourself what significance, if any, will my life have after I’m gone? The following true story came my way. I’m passing it on to you…

The Little Woman Who Stopped Hitler
Empowering Generations We Will Never Know

Little is known of Sarah Barney Belcher. She was born in Taunton, Mass., June 26, 1771. Sarah married Benjamin Belcher on New Years Day, 1792. They had a son, Benjamin Barney Belcher. Sarah died October 14, 1867 at age 96. Though the details of her life are sketchy, if Sarah had never been born, WWII might have had a different ending. This remarkable woman was a common ancestor of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, President Franklin Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Thus, Sarah, through her descendants, not only helped stop Hitler, but also Italy’s Mussolini and Japan’s Hirohito. With Sarah as a common ancestor, her great, great grandson, MacArthur, was an eighth cousin of Churchill and a sixth cousin of FDR. Sarah could not have known that three of her descendants would be prominent leaders in a global war. The Lord only knows what qualities and virtues Sarah passed on to these great men—we are all surely composites of our parents and grandparents, as they were of theirs. Singer and songwriter Sara Groves grasped this powerful generational concept in her profound lyric in her song, ‘Generations.’ (“Remind me of this with every decision—Generations will reap what I sow—I can pass on a curse or a blessing—to those I will never know.”) The choices we make in serving the Lord, or in not serving Him, may affect not only us, but also the eternal destinies of the generations that will follow us. We may never know our great, great grandchildren, but it has been proven many times that their chances of serving the Lord will be greatly enhanced by our continuing to live for Him today. Will you pass on a blessing or a curse? The choice is yours.

Blessings to you. Have a great week!