I certainly love the different seasons of the year in Utah. This year, we had record-breaking heat, and it seemed like the hot summer would never relent. Now we anticipate the fall leading into winter. They say, “A hot summer leads to a cold winter!” I like and dislike many things in every season. As a young man (with a bit of wanderlust), I tried to escape the cold winter by living in Arizona, California, and Florida. Those are all fine places, but I yearned for a more dramatic change of seasons, similar to my Midwest upbringing.
We moved our family to Utah in the spring of 1999. It wasn’t for the remarkable topography and weather; we wanted our lives to bear fruit. In retrospect, it was a sweet season for our young family of five. I honestly believe it was a pretty simple plan. We raised our faith-filled sails, and God (the Holy Spirit) billowed us along.
I memorized these verses early in my walk with the Lord, which has helped me through many seasons of life.
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does he prospers.” — Psalm 1:1-3
These verses are very dear to me; they are much more than just words in a book. They are my way of life.
We All Belong to Each Other
I’m so thankful God has placed us in a church filled with people in different seasons of life. For example, I love seeing the babies (it seems like there is always a new addition) and the toddlers scurrying to their class. Watching the older kids raucously running to play ga-ga ball is a joy. We have a parent-led youth group and a young adults ministry. Both groups are thriving! There are all walks of life: unmarried, married, young, old, blue collar, white collar, no collar. So many different people. Just as the Apostle Paul describes,
“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other.” — Romans 12:4-5
I love, love, love, the last line … “and we all belong to each other.”
God brought us into this spiritual family; we belong to each other. WOW! Don’t miss this. No matter what season of life you are in, you play a vital role. The old need the young, and the young need the old. And everyone in between is just as integral as all the others.
Every Season Counts
Love and serve one another so that we may all be like trees planted by streams of water. Let’s yield fruit in every season of life. If you are young in the Lord, do all you can to grow and learn from others. Are you young in life? Then pursue Jesus with all the youthful zeal you can muster. Be with like-minded Christians. Court, stay unmarried, marry, raise kids, all in a manner that brings God the glory. Simply put, bring your lives under the Lordship of Jesus! Even those of us with gray hair still have so much to contribute.
Football season is beginning, and I like to watch pro football. Although I sometimes only watch the fourth quarter because that is often the most exciting (and exhausting) part of the game. I think that’s true of us in the fourth quarter of life. Despite the fact that it can be exhausting, the Gospel is just as exciting as when we first began. We must live our lives as if every minute counts because it does. Brace yourselves — a new season is coming!
Loving Jesus,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor