Thursday

Today is my official first day at my new churches. I have begun the process of learning names and getting into the flow of the communities. I am still amazed about all the activities that occur here in Ainsworth and the surrounding communities. Even if it is the "middle of nowhere" there is no reason one should be bored.

As I approach the first Sunday services, I am reminded of the number of times that scripture speaks to being called into ministry. What is so interesting is that way people receive the call. From Abraham to Paul, God speaks to us in such a variety of ways and means. From dreams, burning bushes, going about doing our everyday jobs, to traveling down the road, God can reach out to those He chooses. I had the opportunity to talk to a number of pastors in my life and the one thing they have expressed especially non-Methodists is the amount of moving that is common for our denomination. I know that John Wesley encouraged his elders to move and not become settled which was often based on the early apostles that traveled and planting churches. What was always true no matter how often one stays or how often one moves God is at work in all that we do. As the psalmist says, there is no where we can go that God is not already there. I don't know about others but I find comfort in that.

So today is the day of new beginnings as is each day of our lives. God is speaking to each of us calling us to go forth to do His Will.