A WIDE DOOR.........

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Corinth wanting them to know of his love for them and his desire to come and see them again. However, as he was in Ephesus, a WIDE DOOR for effective ministry had opened up to him so he stayed and ministered in Ephesus for a long period of time. This past weekend a wide door opened up to me and my wife that enabled us to minister to some folks in deep need.

First, on Friday I was contacted by a man who resides south of Mexico City, Mexico who teaches English in a school down there. To make a long story short, he ended up here in Leoti after the man he was riding with got mad at him (the man had been drinking). He dumped him out on hiway 96, and drove away (heading for Kansas City). The bottom line is he was in Kansas, 4 days from his home, had 8 dollars to his name, had no credit card and needed to get back home. Without going into details, I checked him out with the law, all was fine, drove him to Garden, connected him to a Mexican bus line, was able to refer him to a shelter in Garden, and was able to procure a bus ticket. A crazy day but it was amazing how the pieces fell together.

Unfortunately, Saturday was a more difficult day. We were hit with a white out blizzard west of town that left a man dead due to a series of vehicle accidents. I spent the afternoon at the hospital with the wife of the man as the staff at the hospital worked tirelessly to keep the man alive in E.R. Unfortunately the injuries were too severe and the man died leaving his wife here in a small town, 14 hours from her home, her friends, and her family. As God would have it, my wife called me during the ordeal and offered our house to the wife instead of the local motel so she could have a place to stay and someone to talk to. She accepted the offer and as a result we were able to help her with the logistics of working with law enforcement, the funeral homes (both locally and from the state she was from), the hospital staff, and a variety of phone calls. Most importantly, we were able to provide her with a place to cry, to talk, to feel safe, to feel loved and cared for. (Thanks a million to Mary Lou). As family arrived the next morning we were able to help them as well.

The bottom line is a wide door for effective ministry had opened up to us over the weekend. Sometimes the door is no fun to walk through but out of obedience we must do so. As a result, several families were ministered to, including our own. So as we begin a new week, there are many doors that the Lord will open for you. Will you walk through them?

P.S. The local EMTs, fire department, and hospital staff did a great job. they are to be commended. If you're local and reading this, let them know how much you appreciate them.

ASHES TO ASHES

Today is Ash Wednesday which begins the Lenten journey to the cross these next forty days. Here in Leoti the Ministerial Alliance hosts a Lenten Luncheon at the various churches which brings the community of faith together to help us focus on our need for God as well as our preparation for the celebration of the resurrection. It is a wonderful opportunity for the various traditions of the Christian faith to gather together in fellowship, as well as to be challenged by meditations given by the local ministers of the community. We also receive a free-will offering which goes to help needs of the less fortunate, both local and those traveling through.

Tonight our church will hold an Ash Wednesday service where ashes once again will be placed on the foreheads of those in attendence to remind us of our own mortality and our need to "repent" or turn back to God. The mood is much more somber and reflective (as it should be) for we cannot celebrate the joy of the resurrection without first coming to grips with the suffering on the cross. Without the cross there is no resurrection.

Now I do want us to be careful that we don't lose sight of the empty tomb while on the Lenten journey. Sometimes folks get so focused on what they "give up" for Lent that they act as if they are on a pity pot or want every one to feel sorry for them. That's why Sundays are not a part of the forty days. They are "little Easters" along the way to remind us that we are a people of hope.

So as we begin this journey together, it is my prayer that we take seriously what Christ did for us that we might be forgiven, cleansed, and restored to the Father. And may we seriously reflect upon where we are on the journey and what Christ is asking of us that we might share in both the struggles, as well as the victories that lie ahead.

"Repent, and believe the gospel".

CHRISTIANS AND COWS!

I realize that the picture of this calf reflects a nice warm day without snow and ice, but this is a calf in heaven.

Anyways, I was talking to some guys today and one of them mentioned how he could just walk through his herd and tell you which heifer was going to calve within the next day, which cow needed some medical attention, which calf needed to be taken to the barn or what kind or how much feed certain ones needed. This was because he had "trained" himself to observe the signs. He had spent time with his cattle and just by paying attention, he knew what he had to do to meet the needs of the herd under his care.

It hit me that that we as Christians need to do a much better job of paying attention to the signs of what is going on in the lives of those around us. If someone is hurting, do we know it? If someone is struggling, do we respond? If someone is rejoicing, do we enter into that joy with them? Too often the answer to these questions is "no". Are we just not paying attention?

Maybe it would behoove (nice word) us to slow it down a little and turn up the frequency on our spiritual antennas. Maybe we need to listen more, open our eyes more, and observe what is really going on around us. Who's to say that we can't learn a few things from a cowboy?

JUST call me Grandpa!

I was wondering why Eric and Andrea were smiling at Christmas - they knew that a little (and I mean little) one was on the way. So of course that means M.L. and I are going to be grandparents. How awesome is that? I know, I know - it's hard for you to believe that people as "young" as us could possibly be grandpa and grandma but you're just going to have to deal with it. We're having no problem grasping the reality of the situation.

Anyways, come September another "Just" will be added to the crew. Can't wait! Congrats A&E.