I continue on my journey of working with great pastors.

Throughout my journey of being a pastor, I have worked with some amazing pastoral leaders.  It stated at Camp Hill UM where I worked with Ron Bowersox, John Overman, Stephen Gallaher, Tom Maurer, Bob Reasy, Matt Lake and Ed Zeiders.  Anyone who knows pastors within our Conference knows that this is an exciting list.  As I started my seminary and ordination process, I had an awesome mentor assigned to me in George Reynolds, who is still a very close friend.  I then came to Fishing Creek to work for over 5 years with one of the best pastoral hearts a person could work with, in Paul Wilcox.  Oh, how I loved watching him love people.  Now, I work with a man who was one of my mentors during my ordination journey, and now is the interim Lead Pastor here at Fishing Creek.  Carl Peterson is a blessing for a congregation who is hurting from the loss of a great pastor.  What an absolute joy to work along side of him for these months.

It also doesn’t hurt that my best friend from childhood, John Godissart, is another amazing pastor that I walk with regularly.

And now, the trend continues on, as I found out last week that Debbie Heisley-Cato will be the new Lead Pastor here at Fishing Creek Salem.  Debbie was the D.S. for my final 2 years in Tower City before I moved to Salem.  She will bring so much leadership and Spiritual formation to this congregation.  I am looking forward to working along side of her for as long as the Bishop decides to keep us together.

I am not sure why God has blessed me with such a great group of pastoral leaders to work along side of over the course of my journey, but what an amazing journey it has been, and continues to be!

Blessed, by amazing Pastoral Leaders

I know that “home is where you hang your hat,” but it is good to know where that hat hanging place will be for the next year and a half.  I am staying where I am for another appointment year!

Blessed!

I’m trying to live this out, but sometimes it is hard to wait!

But still blessed!

What a great morning!

It began early with a group of men talking about heave.  Both Men’s Morning and Evening Cup’s of Jesus are studying “90 Minutes in Heaven.”  It was a small group this morning, but what a great discussion!  These men are really craving God, both now and into eternal life.

And then, I went over and hung out with the egg makers.  I get to dip the insides into the chocolate.  What a great group of people to hang out with while serving God and His Church.  Oh, how we laugh together.

Looking forward to another heavenly discussion tonight.

Blessed!

So many thoughts have gone through my mind with Joe Paterno’s passing yesterday.  I have listened to many stories on the news.  I have seen many comments from family, friends, and members of the congregation.  There are so many mixed feeling through all of this.  Me too.  I have followed his story for many years as a fan of PSU.  I have always appreciated his work and his ethic and still do.  But…

Isn’t amazing how sin can affect so many people.  Maybe it was someone else’s sin, but like a ripple in the water…

And isn’t it amazing how we can elevate people and things to idol proportions even after we read, “Have no other gods or idols before me.”  Again, as much as I have appreciated JoePa’s work over the last many years, and still do, I struggle when I see individuals who are going beyond appreciation into the realm of worship.  Do we as Christians put that much emphasis and passion into our worship of God on Sunday mornings, or other times of the day/week.

So many thoughts have been running through my mind…and they will continue.  Praying God will share deeper insights into my relationship with Him through it all.

Yet…life goes on…which can be seen, or smelled in our church this morning with the beginning of the Easter egg project.  Ahh the smell of peanut butter.

Stuggling, pondering, yet blessed by God.

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my fortress, I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62)

I’m waiting on you God.  Life is up in the air.  Trusting in you.

Its a good thing I am preaching on this passage this week.  I need to hear it.

Blessed, by the Word of the Lord!

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;

no tender voice like thine can peace afford.

I am really enjoying the Devotional that Karen got me for Christmas.  Each day looks at a great hymn or song of faith.  Even though I have song this one many times throughout my life, as I meditated upon the words the other day, wow, they really blessed me.

I need thee every hour, stay thou nearby;

temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.

Last night, at the end of Men’s Cup of Jesus, we spent time praying for each other, and the things each of us are dealing with in our lives.  Desires to be better husbands and dads, anxieties about work, temptations to sin…we prayed deeply for God’s presense to be evident in our lives, and that He would be miraculus in those prayers.

I need thee every hour, teach me thy will;

and thy rich promises in me fulfill.

It was a cool night of Brother’s caring about Brother’s, while drawing closer to our Savior and Lord.

I need thee,, O I need thee; every hour I need thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,, I come to thee.

Blessed!

5. The food. 

4. I’m a country boy at heart, so all the smells, the sounds and the sights. 

3. The paintings of the one guy from Boiling Springs(forget his name) WOW, the colors!

2. Spending time with my wife.(yes, my kids and 50,000 others were there too, but…)

1. Watching my kid’s faces!  Worth the time, trip and money!!!

Blessed

Wait, did I just say that?  Yes, I did.  It was the “Budget” meeting.  And we just came through a year that was very tight.  Yet, by the end of the over 2 hour meeting, I left feeling good.  Tired, but good.

Great men and women simply wanting to financially walk with God in allowing God to move this congregation where it should be.  What’s in store for this year?  Don’t know, but God will lead.

Blessed, at the Finance Meeting?  Who knew?!

Had a great phone call last night.  I answered the phone to hear my 4 year old nephew’s voice.  After we talked for a little bit, I told him it was bed time, so he should tell his Daddy that it was time for bed, and he needed to turn off the TV and go to bed.  Max very quickly started bugging his Dad to turn off the TV.  Hehehehe.

My Brother decided to take over the phone call to question me on my intentions.  My intentions…simply to be the younger Brother from afar.

Blessed!