Thought of the Day !!

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

There is a time for everything and my time at my present charge is nearing it's end. As churches go, there have been some things here that are probably normal to every church. There has been a time for ups and downs...a time for arguments and glad tidings...a time for marriages and funerals...a time for baby baptisms and profession of faith baptisms...a time for work and play...worship and fellowship.

My time here at Avon and Glen Allan has been filled mostly with great joy, with a painful occasion or two along the road as well. But with all that's gone on here, I've learned. I've matured in my Christian faith. And I've matured as a pastor. It's a good thing that we Methodists are not ordained right out of seminary because to be truthful, we just aren't ready. My first church was Mount Pleasant. I began there when I entered seminary. They were great to me. They let me try stuff out and listened to at least a year's worth of lousy sermons that gradually got somewhat better. But they loved me and helped my to improve as a caring pastoral care giver.

Then I came to the Avon/Glen Allan charge. I entered my probationary work here. The best thing about this charge has been the people. I have fallen in love them. With some of them I made mistakes and was forgiven. Through others I learned hard lessons. Through others I learned that even as I taught not to judge others that I was guilty of it myself. And through these salt-of-the-earth folks I have experienced the gift of love and acceptance. At Christmas when we couldn't go home because it was on a Sunday, Michelle and I were invited to be a part of the family of no less than three families. When I was ordained, no less than eighteen people showed up. And I could go on and on. Sure, some of us have had our problems, but that happens. In family there is a time for it all.

Now I travel on to the next leg of my journey. It is Gibson Memorial UMC in Vicksburg, MS. There I will learn even more about myself and my role as pastor (as we never actually quit learning). But through the trials and through the joyful experiences of my last two charges, God has been preparing me for my next step. He taught me how to be a caring pastor at Mount Pleasant. He taught me the real definition of missions and that I am called to be a missional pastor at Avon and Glen Allan. And He is preparing me to be a leader at Vicksburg.

There really is a time for everything. And with everything's time comes a change. Change is difficult for most of us. But don't let it get you down. God made each of us as beings capable of overcoming and adapting to change. Don't worry about the times to come. Embrace them, and find the good in each one. That's what I plan to do as I say a sad good-bye and a happy hello.

In the love of Christ,
greg