Wanted to share a few of the responses to the prayer letter last week where I wrote about some of my emotions in assessing life on my 76th birthday. I feel like I pulled some of the mask off I sometimes wear. Actually these are but snippets from your responses. Thank you for taking the time to write. I was touched by how many wrote back. I share your comments, not to bring attention to myself, but to illustrate how we are all in this challenge of life together, with our strengths and weaknesses, our highs and our lows.
* “You truly make it okay for me to be human as a Christian.”
* “You’ve written the psalm of my heart.”
* “I am feeling and relating deeply to everything you said. It brought up a lot of emotion.”
* “What you’ve written is all of us. One day we will be complete, lacking nothing,
* “I can relate to so much of what you shared”
* “What you’ve written makes me feel that I am not so alone.”
* “That was raw, human and deeply felt.”
* “Wonderful sentiments; thank you for your honest reflections and heartfelt questions.”
* “You articulated well such pondering of our lives in getting older.”
* “I have read through your letter several times. I relate to all of it.
* “I love how you are processing your life. I understand much of what you are feeling.”
* “Your ability to reveal to us the common frailties of being human, God’s masterpiece creation dealing with the Sin of Ages, is uplifting and very encouraging.”
* “You echo what life is for us as believers.”
* “Relate with all your perfunctory staccato nouns representing emotion, facts, thinking.”
* “You have helped to put life in perspective.”
From Sunday’s teaching – The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt
Prayer Needs This Week (thank you for taking a moment to pray)
- Local artist Anne England recovering from a heart attack
- Harriett Strand’s Memorial service on Saturday
- Blessing on the Women’s Harvest Dinner Friday night
- Continue to pray for our divided nation
- Our worship team; our ministry team; our pastoral team
Final Thought: If you can’t find joy in the direction you’re going, you might consider changing direction.
Jay