From the Pastor’s Desk…                                          May 2023

Today is the first day back from my “stay-cation.” Generally, we go somewhere when we take time off but this week we decided to stay home, work around the yard, and even managed to take a couple of day trips. The most revealing part of this time, for me, was my ability to leave church at church, and spend time with Sandy, and relax!

But what is relaxation? How many of us allow ourselves even just a moment… when life suddenly shuts down and we are afforded opportunities to experience what God has given us. To find this, to do this requires a level of trust, doesn’t it? Trust in God, trust in ourselves – and trust in our ability to do just this – relax. From Psalm 62…

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

At the beginning, I had a long list of things needing to be done; naturally very few were completed. One of those items was removing the rocks the adorn the front of my house. Sandy helped for a while; but then it was just me – alone in my thoughts, quiet in my soul. We talked for a moment – God and me. And as we did, I felt the weight of my world dissipate from my shoulders. Slowly I began to trust in God, to just be a presence in and with him. Time passed, and it was time to be done for the day. I haven’t returned to that place, that time since – but I 2 know it’s there, waiting for me. I know God is there, waiting for me. All I have to do is trust in it, trust in him… it’s a work in progress. And I long to go back there – to trust in myself, to trust in God.

So I make myself this promise, to actively take the time to awaken the silence within me, to rest and relax in my thoughts, in my prayers, in myself, and in God. As spring returns and summer beckons, I invite you to join me in the silence of rest and relaxation (email or text me now), even for a brief moment; and to allow life to shut down around us so we can experience God in his glory and mercy. This is our refuge; He is our refuge. Thanks be to God.

God’s Blessings and Peace

Pastor Neil

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