40 & It Only Gets Better

Reflections on Turning 40

1.  Clinique has become my best friend. I love Clinique Bonus Time!

2.  I still have a lot to learn.

3.  People drift in and out of your life.  Be radical in your hospitality.

4.  Glad to have Julie in my life.  She is my stylist at Hot Locks & keeps my hair looking good!

5.  The key to staying young is hanging out & investing in youth/college students who are changing the world - including your own kiddos!

6.  I have less patience for time-wasters.  I want to use every moment to make a difference and leave the world better than I found it.

7.  I have loved deeply. And I've been hurt deeply.

8.  I have found I love my husband more each year. He is my best friend! 

9.  Staying fit is hard but it's extremely important for your health and sanity. I'm running the mini marathon with K. J. Powell & Karen Curnutte. I did my first century ride 4 years ago and it was a wonderful experience.  Set fitness goals!

10.  Some dreams were greater than I dreamed.

11.  Live SIMPLY!  Thankful to be able to give to people in need, to projects like the ARISE Youth Center & to projects like the Bilingual School in Honduras that are literally changing lives. 

12. I am not perfect.  I am a sinner who loves God.

13.  No matter what your past holds, God can still use you.

14.  I want my kids to look back when they are older and see that I was an imperfect mother who did the best she could. I love my two sons dearly - Elliott and Max.

15.  I want my parents/family to know how great they are and how thankful I am for the family gatherings I had while growing up.  

16.  I pray for my son’s future spouses.  I often wonder if I have met either of them yet.  

17.  I am blessed beyond measure and can never thank Jesus enough. As Dave Ramsey says, “I am better than I deserve.”

18.  Through everything God is faithful.

19.  I am not where I thought I would be when I was younger. But I am where I know God wants me.  Thankful to be in a church that supports women who are called to preach, teach and minister in a church.

20.  More than anything, I cherish my relationship with Christ. Spiritual things matter. Eternity matters.

21.  I love the Church.  I am more passionate than ever to lead the church to be a people who participate in risk-taking mission and service.  

22.  Growing up on a farm taught me humility and a great work-ethic.  I try my best to lead my kids in such a way that their lives will not reflect any entitlement or arrogance.

23.  So thankful for my MOM!  She allowed me to go where ever God called.

24.  Mentors are very important!  I would not be where I am today in ministry without my mentors - Les and Vicki Hollon, Chris Caldwell, Mack Craddock to name a few....

25.  Girlfriends are important.  Thankful for life-long friends like LeAnn New, Gretchen "Abenroth"  and Julie Shahroudi.  

26.  Everyone should be in a "Small Group" at your church.  I love mine - Liz, Lisa, Dolly, Janet, Amy, Molly, Laura, Marla, Ann, Jenny

27.  Books keep me motivated. I love leadership books. I'm currently reading "Multipliers."

28.  You should love your JOB!   I love my colleagues at MCC!

29.  Reading my Bible everyday reminds me of God's Amazing Grace - even when I don't feel it or see it.

30.  Don't be afraid to fail or let your kids fail.  Failure (in a strange way) brings about confidence and direction.

31. I have learned that these things are important if I am to bear fruit for Christ:  Radical Hospitality....Passionate Worship....Intentional Faith Development....Risk-taking Mission...and Extravagant Generosity!

32.  Get an education!  I become more thankful for my education each and every day.  I was the first on either side of my family to graduate from college.  So thankful for teachers!

33.  Take time to sit on the front porch swing with your grandparents.  The wisdom of my grandparents is forever engrained in my memory. 

34.  Christian Community has been so important to me over the years. Thankful for the Christian Communities/Churches I've been a part of over the years - including those in Costa Rica and Honduras!  They have helped form me into the person I am today.

35.  Go on a yearly vacation with your family!  Put your phones away and enjoy each other. Play games together like Sequence and Rummy.

36.  Say I'm sorry when you mess up.

37.  If you fail, try again! 

38.  Ask before you assume what other people need.  

39.  Say your prayers with your family each night before you go to sleep.

40.  A little lip gloss makes you feel better than you think!

2014 - What to do?

What to do in the new year?  From Shane Claiborne!

1. Do for one person what I wish that I could do for everyone, but can’t.
2. Practice resurrection.  Make ugly things beautiful and bring dead things back to life.  Paint a new mural in our neighborhood.  And make some cool stuff out of trash.  Look for God in the unlikely places.
3. Interrupt death.  Do something regularly to interrupt the patterns of violence, bullying, war, and other mean and ugly things. 
4. Give more money away than I keep.  And do it in a way that takes away the power of money and celebrates the power of love.
5. Write letters and notes to people, letting them know I am thankful for them.  Write a note asking for forgiveness from someone I need to ask to forgive me.
6. Do something really nice – that no one sees or knows about.
7. Compliment someone I have a hard time complimenting… and mean it.
8. Pause before every potential crisis and ask:  “Will this matter in 5 years?”
9. Get outdoors often.  And enjoy things like fireflies and shooting stars.  Take someone to the beach or the mountains for their first time. And regularly get my hands into the garden… so when I type on the computer I can see dirt under my fingernails.
10. Learn a skill – like welding – and use it for something redemptive, like turning a machine gun into a farm tool.
11. Rather than emphasizing the best of myself and finding the worst in others – let me work on the worst in myself and look for the best in others.
12. Be aware – and beware — of blessings.  Do something to abstain, fast, or delay gratification.  And do something to indulge in a gift of God.  Then do something to end inequality and move the world toward God’s dream for every person to have “this day our daily bread”.
13. Believe in miracles.  And live in a way that might necessitate one.

My Christmas Eve Prayer

Lord, Hear Our Prayer:

Good and gracious God, on this holy night you gave us your Son, the Lord of the universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, the Saviour of all, lying in a manger. 

On this holy night in which God joins heaven and earth, let us offer our prayers for the church, the world, and all those in need.

We pray for the Church around the world as it celebrates the birth of Christ. Bless all those who are entrusted with Christian ministry that your Word might be proclaimed with truth and courage across our world. Grant your wisdom to all who govern, that in honouring the earth and its diverse races, cultures, and religions, we may celebrate the light of this holy night.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer:

Grant reconciliation to those overcome with conflict and violence, that they may live in the peace of this holy night.

We pray for all who are cold, hungry, or alone this night. Embrace with your tender care all who wander alone or have no place to lay their head, they may experience the hope of this holy night.

We pray for all who are anxious, depressed, or ill. Draw near to those who find this season a source of pain or grief, and to all who are suffering or sick, especially those we remember in our own hearts ... that they may feel the comfort of this holy night.

We pray for parents, families, and newborn infants. Strengthen families in the bonds of love and commitment, that they may delight in the joy of this holy night.

We pray for ourselves and for the blessings of Christmas. Open our hearts to your presence, that we may be transformed by the new birth of this holy night.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer:

We give thanks for all the faithful departed who have been bearers of the Word made flesh. Give us grace to follow your holy ones in lives of faith and commitment.  Help us give our lives away for the building of your Kingdom here on earth.

Joseph and Mary searched for a place to stay that night Jesus was born but there was no room in the Inn.  We open our hearts and make room for you to be born anew in us.  

Lord, hear our prayer!

Amen!

CHOOSE JOY

A few highlights from today's message:  The Gift of Joy

Joy and Happiness are not the same thing...

Happiness is fleeting because it is based on my pursuits but Joy is permanent because it is based on God's pursuit of me.

Happiness is based on circumstances but JOY transcends the events & disasters in our lives. Joy is a divine dimension that cannot be shackled by any circumstance.

JOY is abiding and not striving....(John 15:5, Gal 5:22)

I CHOOSE JOY...

I choose JOY because I know that God keeps his promises (he is faithful).  I choose JOY because I know God is always at work around me.  I choose JOY because I know that God is in the midst of what ever has happened, whatever is happening and whatever will happen.

Magnificat - Mary's Song - Luke 1:39-56

God is unfolding his plan for salvation and healing and he chose two very humble women to play a part.  Their lives were about to be radically altered but they humbly embraced their role in God's story.  Maybe God is telling you to....Embrace your story...Be faithful to your story...don't compare your story to someone else's story...

Mary knew her need for a Savior.  She calls God - Savior. This is significant because one does not call God Savior unless one recognizes her need to be saved.  And, Mary knew we needed a Savior.  The world is broken.  There is violence, abuse and wars of many kinds. There are people who are well fed and people who are not. There are people who have parents and people who do not. There are people who have shelter and people who do not. There are people who have a voice and people who do not.  There are people who are free and people who are not.  Our world needs a SAVIOR!  We need to know our sins are forgiven. We need to know we are loved. We need to know that this life isn't meaningless. And once you recognize your need to be saved, nothing can't contain you because you'll be singing "My soul magnifies the Lord"

Bill-Board - You Know It's a Myth. This Season. Celebrate Reason (New Jersey, 2010)
Mary's unwavering faith enabled her to keep her blessed state of excitement.  We must notice her faith in a God that is bigger and better than anything this world has to offer!

There was a group who put up the Billboard that said "This Season. Celebrate Reason."  Although I revere reason - it's only up to a point.  Faith tells us that although reason is a gift - it is not a God. Reason cannot explain everything.  Reason cannot explain the purposes and plans of God.  We must have faith as people of God - that God's promises are true. 

Quotes:

"The Church—I repeat once again—is not a relief organization, an enterprise nor an NGO (Non-Government Organization), but a community of people, animated by the Holy Spirit, who have lived and are living the wonder of the encounter with Jesus Christ and want to share their experience of deep joy, the message of salvation that the Lord gave us. It is the Holy Spirit who guides the Church in this path.” — Pope Francis, Message for World Day of Peace

"It is the nature of joy that all questions grow silent and nothing needs explaining."  Rudolf Bultmann  

“The only condition for joy is the presence of God.  Joy happens when God is present and people know it.”   Barbara Brown Taylor

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-2 "...it will greatly rejoice and shout for JOY..."

Luke 1:46-47 "My soul magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God, my Savior..."

Psalm 51:12 "Restore unto me the JOY of your salvation..."

Romans 12:15 - "Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice..."

John 15:5 - "Abide in me and you will bear much fruit..."

Galatians 5:22 - "The fruit of the spirit is love, JOY,...."

John 16:22 - "No one can take your joy away."

James 1:2-4 - "...whenever you face trials....count it all JOY..."

Challenge:  This season - sing your song of JOY!  Don't be ashamed.  Sing your song of JOY as you walk beside those in need...sing your song of JOY as you use your gifts of teaching, hospitality....sing your song of JOY as you love your family....sing your song of JOY as you serve the elderly...sing your song of JOY as you share the message of salvation....

Sing it loud - My soul Magnifies the Lord!

Unspeakable JOY

This weekend I'll be sharing a message on THE GIFT OF JOY. This will be the third message in our RE-GIFT series during Advent.  I have been so inspired during the past two days as I have read so many scriptures on JOY!

Even though I will be sharing the message using the Magnificant found in Luke chapter 1, I have really been inspired today through 1 Peter 1:6-9 (I"ll let it speak for itself)

⁶ So be truly glad.^[a] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. ⁷ These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

⁸ You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. ⁹ The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

When have there been times that your JOY was simply unspeakable?  too much for words? When has there been JOY rising in your soul and you knew that JOY would never let you go?

Whatever it is - stop now and thank God for it! Let JOY grow in you and produce a song of thankfulness.  Let JOY push through the cracks in your heart - even in the midst of your hurting!

PRINCE OF PEACE!

Isaiah 9:6–7 says, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity], Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end” 

The government that is upon the shoulders of Jesus is not a political government; the verse is referring to the governing of our lives. We are not supposed to be running our own lives. In fact, we are not capable or qualified to run our own lives. Not one of us is intelligent enough to know what is best. That is why we should be thankful for God’s interference.

I like the promise that there will be no end to the increase of His government and peace. The more His government increases in my life (the more He governs my life, my thoughts, my conversations, my decisions, and my actions), the more peace I am going to have.

Peace doesn’t come from success and money and promotions and feeling good about everything in life. We find peace in the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace, and joy within us. Being right with God, knowing we are right with God, and doing the right thing out of knowing who we are in Christ is a process, but it leads us to peace, and peace leads us to joy. - Joyce Meyer

Advent Conspiracy: Replace Consumption with Compassion!

How about we do things a little differently this year?

Let's replace Consumption with Compassion!

-Spend Less:  What was the one gift you remember getting for Christmas last year?  Next question:  What about the fourth gift?  Do you remember that one?  Truth is many of us don't because it wasn't something we necessarily needed or wanted.  Spending less isn't a call to stop giving gifts; it's a call to stop spending money on gifts we won't remember in less than a year.

-Give More:  The most powerful, memorable gift you can give to someone else is yourself.  And nobody modeled this more than Jesus.  The main point is simple:  When it comes to spending time with those you love, it's all about quality not quantity.

-Love:  It all boils down to LOVE.  Love from a Savior. Love to a Neighbor in need. 

-AdventConspiracy

50 Reasons...

50 Reasons that I am THANKFUL for 2013:

1. Wally - mi esposo &  amigo mejor
2.  Elliott's great grades
3. Max's undefeated soccer season
4. My parents' new home
5. Education
6. 10,000 Reasons
7.  Brothers and Sisters in Christ from Costa Rica
8. Hot Showers
9. Car
10. MacBook Pro
11.  Middletown Christian Church - Live it out!
12. My Colleagues in ministry
13. Bless Team
14.  Jeff and Roseanne McKenney at Loma de Luz
15. Time spent with Anthony in Costa Rica
16. Wally's job
17. My in-laws who keep our sweet dog Remi while we are away
18.  Bible
19. IPhone
20.  Real Conversations with my small group
21. Books that inspire
22. Roof over my head
23. Food on my table
24. Lifelong friends like Julie Sharoudi
25. Diet Dr. Pepper
26. Monday Morning Breakfast at Chickfila with Max
27. Elevate: Elliott's Band
28.  ARISE Youth Center
29.  Teachers at St Matthews Elementary
30. Teachers at Crosby
31.  Mountains
32. Oceans
33. El Camino Bilingual School
34. Sanctuary House Loma de Luz
35.  Ian and Liz McKensie
36. Lisa Bradley
37. Butch Lewis - Fellowship with Christ Ministry
38.  Remi - our dog
39.  Acceptance
40.  Opportunity to serve as Senior Minister for June, July, August
41. Family: Blessed with great family on both sides
42.  Wendys Chicken Nuggets
43.  Good health for our family
44.  Freedom of Religion
45.  Chuys
46.  Bama Football
47.  UK Basketball
48.  Elliott's willingness to tutor at TLC
49.  Spanglish
50.  69 miles on Bike to Beat Cancer

Thanksgiving Meditation

When I think of scripture that reflects "thanksgiving" - I usually first think of Psalm 100.  "Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING and his courts with praise. Give THANKS to Him, bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations."

I am thankful this year for God's faithfulness to all generations.  I am always reminded at Thanksgiving of the faithfulness of my grandmothers.  They both passed away in 2011.  It was a sad year for me.  Although sadness still enters my heart from time to time, the thanksgiving overcomes the sadness.  I'm thankful for their integrity, their humility, their tenacity, their boldness and their faith in God.

Francis Frangipane - "It does not matter what your circumstances are; the instant you begin to thank God, even though your situation has not changed, you begin to change. The key that unlocks the gates of heaven is a thankful heart.  Entrance into the courts of God comes as you simply begin to praise the Lord."

Hungry

A Few Reflections from David Emery's sermon "What's for Dinner? Bless and Break" Mark 6:30-44

Today, I came hungry to church.  Not physically but spiritually.  I came hungry for God's Love, God's Peace that passes all understanding, God's healing and God's teaching. 

I came to church today asking God to feed me!  I came to church today asking God to feed the multitudes through music, baptism, meditation at the Table and spoken word.  Wouldn't you know it?  God feeds me every time I ask.  I wondered today how many of us ask God to feed us before going to church on Sunday morning. Do we come hungry for his love, for his peace, for his healing for his teaching?

There's a blessing that comes as we hunger for God's righteousness.  Even in the desert of our lives there is always bread from God.  Even when there is no physical bread, I must believe that God provides spiritual bread.  In our hunger, God desires to feed us at the deepest level. 

One way that God feeds me is through the offering of my resources.The boy offered 5 loaves and 2 fish - his present resources.  I wonder what that little boy thought as the 5 loaves and 2 fish kept multiplying.  I imagine his heart began to overflow with the fullness of God. 

On my recent trip to Honduras, I became so inspired by the movement of God at Loma de Luz.  God was very clear in telling me to offer my resources to help build the Bi-lingual School so that Loma de Luz can continue raising the next generation of Christian Leaders for Honduras.  I came home and told Wally what God had said to me.  We prayed and made a significant gift to the building of the Bi-lingual School.  And, I know as we watch the walls go up and as we watch children's lives being transformed by Christ - we will be filled. 

We must realize that as Christ-followers, we are to share our resources - our assets for the building of God's Kingdom here on earth.  May God multiply the resources I offer.

How are you defined?

In world that is defined by performance, I have to realize that God is more concerned about my presence than my performance.

Be still and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10

Richard Rohr says...We are defined by our relationship with God and He is more concerned about our Presence than performance.

Let the Afflicted Hear and Be Glad

I'm reading "Walking with God through Pain and Suffering" by Timothy Keller

Here are a few reflections so far....

Psalm 34:1-3
I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

Keller says that "troubled times awaken us out of our sleep of spiritual self sufficiency into a serious search for the divine."  

Recently it seems so many people from our congregation at Middletown Christian Church are suffering.  Either they or their family members are suffering from cancer, cancer and more cancer.  My prayer for those struggling with cancer is that their suffering pulls them into a deeper experience of God's love and grace.  What else is there to pray?  Sometimes I try to pray too much instead of letting God just intercede in the silence.

I am thankful, however, that although I have walked through the furnace of suffering - I was not consumed.  I know that Jesus as the Son of God faced his own greater furnace of affliction when he went to the cross. God (Father, Son & Holy Ghost) is "walking with us."  He is truly "God with us."

You Give Them Something to Eat

Reflections on The Feeding of the 5000 - Mark 6

You Give Them Something to Eat...
What are we giving our family and our neighbors to eat?  Are we offering only physical food or are we offering spiritual food as well?

Jesus' authority came from authenticity...
Jesus was who he said he was.  As Christians - we must be believed to be heard.  We must walk the talk.

Compassion is more than relief...
Relief is just the beginning of compassion.  But, as Christ followers - we are called to do more than just provide relief.  We must walk alongside of those who live in poverty (physical and spiritual) to help them change their circumstance.

Compassion is entirely unreasonable...
Why didn't Jesus just make all of the food appear?  He wanted the disciples to see that we offer what we have and it is Christ who multiplies it. Why are we afraid to simply offer what we have?

Falling Upward

My small group is a reflection of the GRACE of Jesus Christ. We laugh, we cry, we eat, we read scripture, we pray but most importantly we listen to one another. This is one of few places that I am able to truly reflect my struggles, my questions and my JOYS!  I am challenged to do more of this reflection through blogging.  Our small group is reading Falling Upward by Richard Rohr.

The message of Falling Upward is straightforward and bracing: the spiritual life is not static. You will come to a crisis in your life, and after the crisis, if you are open to it, you will enter a space of spiritual refreshment, peace and compassion that you could not have imagined before.

Rohr's framework leans heavily on Carl Jung. The spiritual life has two stages. In the first half of life, you are devoted to establishing yourself; you focus on making a career and on finding friends and a partner; you are crafting your identity. Spiritually, people in the first half of life are often drawn to order, to religious routine. We are developing habits and letting ourselves be shaped by the norms and practices of our family and community.

Then—a crisis. "Some kind of falling," Rohr says, is necessary for continued spiritual development. "Normally a job, fortune, or reputation has to be lost," writes Rohr, "a death has to be suffered, a house has to be flooded, or a disease has to be endured." The crisis can be devastating. The crisis undoes you. The flood doesn't just flood your house—it washes out your spiritual life. What you thought you knew about living the spiritual life no longer suffices for the life you are living.

In the main, however, Rohr brings us good hope for a journey with the Holy in our second half of life: we do not travel alone; there is redemption in the pain and loss we all experience; we grow deeper into the heart of God. This is good news as we feel ourselves falling, upward!

Rohr challenges readers to examine the following questions as you think about your first half of life:

Who are my people? Where do we come from? Where do I fit into my family? Who was I closest to in my family? Who are the people closest to me now? Who has had the most influence on me? How have the places I’ve lived shaped me? How did I find my work? Have I found my purpose or calling?

By God's wonderful grace, I am reflecting and answering these questions...

COURAGE...COURAGE...COURAGE.....I SEE IT AT LOMA DE LUZ!

Joshua 1:9 - Have I not commanded you, Be strong and Courageous.  Do Not Be Afraid!  For the Lord your God is with you where ever you go!

The Cornerstone Foundation was begun in 1992 by Jefferson C. McKenney, M.D., and Rosanne Lillard McKenney, R.N.  It was formed to serve the immediate need as the organizational framework to coordinate, administrate, and send out support to a planned mission hospital, Hospital Loma de Luz and to serve similar needs in the future. The vision for Hospital Loma de Luz  was to provide modern medical care in an area where there was none, and in the process to give an ongoing present witness to the truth of the gospel of Christ to a people and a region which had neither medical care nor ongoing Christian witness.  Through years of faith, hard work, and the generosity of many, and particularly through the evident grace of God, both the organization and the mission hospital have come to be a reality.  Loma de Luz, with its bilingual school, Children’s Center, Sanctuary Housing, Agricultural Ministry, Church Planting, and Community Development, has come to be much more than just an excellent mission hospital. Though the Cornerstone Foundation and Loma de Luz are distinct entities, their history, operation, and personnel are inextricably intertwined.

The vision of Loma de Luz is one of a diverse community of Christian believers cooperating to provide medical care and a constant, present, on-going hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of the north coast of Honduras, and ultimately the inland, the Mosquita, and to national and international sailors in that part of the Caribbean.

In order to accomplish this task, a tertiary care referral hospital is the structural hub of various services and outreaches that include education, foster children’s care, agricultural projects, public health, chaplaincy,community development, home health nursing, and pastoral and Christian leadership training. We work daily for it to be an outreach that not only meets physical needs, but also the needs of the spirit and the soul.  We pray for the hospital and community surrounding it to be a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. It is our goal that the people who would come to the hospital for medical care, the people who would find employment related to the hospital, and the people who would benefit from other connected services would not only hear the gospel preached, but also see it lived out in the lives of the missionaries and Christian workers.- all information taken from Cornerstone Foundation website (www.crstone.org)

By God's Grace....

I am only one, but I am one;
I cannot do everything,
But I can do something.
What I can do I ought to do,
And what I ought to do
By God's grace I will do.
-Edward Everett Hale

Where You Lead, I will Follow

I recently traveled with a group of 9 people from Middletown Christian Church to Honduras to spend time with missionaries at Loma de Luz.  As we traveled many miles on this road, I was reminded of Psalm 25:4-5:

"Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." 

Nothing We Do Is Complete

Today I'm grateful for the seeds being planted in the life of Elliott! He turns 14 today!

...Unless a seed falls into the ground and dies:  it cannot bear fruit or bless others' lives...
John 12:24

Oscar Romero wrote "It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.  The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts:  it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord's work.  Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.  No sermon says all that should be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church's mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that affects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.  It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker.  We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.  We are prophets of a future that is not our own."

...The Book of Common Prayer