November, 2011 Sketchings

“NEW CHAPTERS”

By the time you read this, we will be well into the closing weeks of this chapter of our lives and ministry. We will be well into our community and individual processes of grieving the end of this chapter of life. We will have shed tears, and laughed over precious memories. We will have wished each other well for the time ahead and prayed together for God’s power into the future. But, of course, there will still be other steps before the final words are spoken and the last “farewells” are uttered.

Teresa and I want to express our profound thanks and gratitude for the great honor of walking in ministry with you over these last 6 1 / 2 years. This part of our journey has provided a wonderful time for the growth of our faith. Through you our lives have been richly blessed. You’ve filled our memory bank with golden treasures through ministry, relationships, worship, fellowship and caring. We will always carry you in our hearts and prayers. We will always be thankful to God for this chapter in our lives.

When I am reading a book, I want it to be a “page turner.” That is, I want enough suspense to keep the pages turning, to move me from one chapter to the next. Furthermore, within the suspense I need confidence that the author will continue to develop the plot of the story so that when I read the last page I have a wonderful sense of a complete and whole story.

God is the master author of the story and chapters of human life. God is the master in writing His Story (history) in a way that develops His glory, His grace, and His providence so that in the end it is complete and glorious. God’s story is a “page turner”. There is a fair amount of suspense and intrigue. What will God do next? Sometimes it isn’t clear until a bit later in the story. Sometimes, it takes a while for God to weave a thread of the plot back into the story. But in the end, God’s story is complete and wonderful. And, at the end, we recognize there are many more chapters yet to come.

We, you and I, are standing between chapters in our story, in the story of God’s work in and through our lives. We are here knowing that our God is one who makes things happen. God’s word can bring forth creation. God’s word completes all kinds of things through the lives of people like us. This same God already knows our needs at this point in our stories. The obstacles and barriers we see are not insurmountable to God.

One of the mistakes we humans are prone to make is that we need to have everything in life figured out. We want to know what happens next, we want to know the end of the story. We want to put together a “foolproof” plan that will get us from beginning to ending, no hassle, no problem. But life with God means sitting loose in the saddle with your eye on the ever-changing horizon – looking for hints and clues as to where God wants you to go and what he wants you to do. Life with God means that there is suspense between chapters. Where will this next chapter go?

And here’s one important thought to remember: “God never gives us a task without providing the will and the way to accomplish that task.” He did it with Moses and the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land by providing manna and quails to eat. He did it for Abraham by providing he and Sarah with a son born to them in their old age. Jesus talked about it in parables when he said, “Do not worry. Look at the birds of the air. See how God provides for them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Here’s the deal, as we all start turning the pages into the next chapter of life, ministry, faith and Church, God will not leave us stranded. We will not be left “high and dry”. God will reveal the next step (and all we need to know is the next step). God’s Spirit will empower us with the faith to follow in confidence und God’s leading.

Several have asked what is in store for Teresa and I. Truth is, we aren’t really sure what the next chapter will bring. It is a walk of faith on our parts. Our plans include staying in Omaha so that Teresa can continue to be faithful in her ministry calling with her business. Beyond that, God is working out the details of the next chapter. Teresa and I haven’t ever been at a stage in life where we had the options and freedom to take some time to sort out what ministry God is calling me/us to and how we can best be faithful with the energies and talents God has given. We will do our best to keep you informed.

Blessings as we live between chapters. Blessings as we step in faith to see the “plot” unfold. Blessings! For God is good all the time. All the time God is good!

T. O. M.