Reflections From Sunday Evening

It's been a meaningful day. I appreciate Christine preaching this weekend. We recognized and consecrated 25 congregational care ministers today. Christine gives leadership in this vital area in the life of the church. Thanks for a good word today. We also had a number of children who participated in Vacation Bible School sing at 9:30. They knocked it out of the park. VBS was a great success this year. Seeds of faith were sown and we trust they will grow to fruition in the lives of young people. This week I will be in Oklahoma City as a delegate to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. The main purpose is the election of Bishops. We will be electing three Episcopla leaders and each area will have a bishop assigned for the next four years. My friend Bob Farr is a candidate for the Episcopacy and I will be encouraging people to support him in this important ministry. Let me close this post by sharing about the memorial service I participated in this afternoon. Bill Stout was 67 years ago. He grew up in Appleton City. He was my "boyhood hero." He came out to our house one Sunday afternoon to show me how to throw a curveball. I was probably 8 years old and he was a high school kid. He was funny and witty. His family and ours were extremely close for those many, many years. Bill died of cancer. We met in the funeral home and had a service followed by a military service at the cemetery. Bill did not always have it all together. He returned from his tour of Vietnam with many struggles. He battled with alcohol for years. He had good seasons of life and some that were not so good. In the past several years Bill was in re-hab at the VA hospital and things clicked. Through counselling and medication Bill found his way to live a good life. I had the opportunity to share a few thoughts at the service today. It was very meaningful to be able to do so. As I think of Bill and then consider the Church it gives me a deep sense of hope. Faith is constant even when the mind and body struggle. In 1975 I prayed with Bill and he made his confession of faith and accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. The seeds of that prayer eventually grew. Today we trust that Bill has been blessed with life eternal. The seeds planted in a visit with one in the hospital grow through the grace of God. The seeds planted in VBS kids grow through the grace of God. The seeds planted in the business of the Church grow through the grace of God. It's been a good day. I hope you've had a good day too. steve