We've been enjoying the work of getting the Christmas lights up on my house.  Advent has now begun and the "Season of Joy and Light" is in full swing.  Beth has been helping me "test the lights" by letting me "light her up" with each string.  She is a good helper and also seems to enjoy helping me with this project.  This season can bring joy in so many ways.  For many though, this "season of joy" is also a "season of grief."  Over the past year (or past several years) many have lost loved ones and the sense of loss is especially strong as they try to navigate through Christmas traditions and family gatherings.  The question that's on their mind is, "How will I find joy in the Christmas season when my grief is so real?" The question is a complex one and a specific answer is unique to each individual, but I believe there are some helpful truths that we can all think about...

Over the course of 46 years of ministry I've performed hundreds of weddings (pictured above - me with Kira & Walter Wilson).  When asking each couple, "Why do you want to get married?" they inevitably say, "Because we love each other."  Quite frankly, I think this is an honest and sincere response.  However, if I talk to these couples some years later they usually will tell me that, through their life together,  they have grown in their understanding of the meaning of love.  Perhaps, in some ways, they will have grown to understand what Paul meant when he said, "Let love be sincere" (Rom. 12:9-12)...

I recently retired after 46 years of pastoral ministry.  Though the time was right, I had no idea the degree to which this decision was going to put me, "out of sync."  This is a term I've encounter often through my computer use:  I need to "sync" my Contacts with my message App.  I need to "sync" my printer with my computer.  I need to "sync" my photos with the "cloud.'  The term is referring to a process whereby everything will work together in a coordinated way.  Upon retirement, however, I soon realized that my life was no longer "in sync."  This was largely due to the discovery that I had lost a sense of "rhythm" in my life.  

I had never realized how important "rhythm's" are to one's life.  For 46 years I had developed sort of a "life rhythm."  There was a daily rhythm: I tried to begin and end each day with a time of Bible reading and prayer.  At some point, each evening, I would spend some time praying with Kristi; after that I would spend some time reading.   At some point, each day, I would try to visit with Beth and John.  Upon retirement I have mostly been able to retain my sense of daily rhythm; but there was also a weekly rhythm and that is where things began to fall apart:  On Monday I would select hymns, prayers, scriptures, and a Call to Worship, for the worship bulletin.  On Tuesday I would deal with church and Conference business matters.  On Wednesday I would outline my sermon and do some visits with church members.  On Thursday I attended Ministerial Alliance, Kiwanis, or Methodist Men's group. On Thursday I would also try to "follow up" on visitors to the church.  Friday was sort of a day off.  On Saturday I did the final work on my sermon.  Sure, there were weeks when funerals, weddings and other events changed the schedule.  But for 46 years this had pretty much become my weekly rhythm.  But there were annual rhythms as well:  September involved Charge Conference preparation, October was the annual Stewardship Drive, November brought Thanksgiving and launched us into preparations for December and Advent.  Throughout the years there was sort of a "cycle" to my life, and I realize now that it was this "cycle" or "rhythm" that kept my life in "sync."!  But life is different now and I realize that though I hated the "stress" of Advent, I am going to miss the special services of worship I led and the Advent sermons I'm accustomed to preparing to share with our church family.  So, I find myself at a stage of life where I am striving to find a new rhythm.  I think the new rhythm will partly have to do with the continued development of my counseling practice.  I'm hoping my new rhythm will be a result of my spending time with God and discerning His plan for me in this new season of life.   I am also hoping that perhaps my new rhythm will begin to emerge as I journey through this season of Advent.  In short - I'm praying that Advent will be a time for me to "re-sync!"...

I recently got my 2002 Honda Odyssey back from the mechanic, there was a problem with the fan in the heating/air system and a part needed to be replaced.  I was worried when I first took it in; the car has 328,000 miles on it and I feared the problem might not be repairable.  But it was.  I got the car back and it works fine.  My hope is soon to buy a new car and give this one to my son (or someone else who needs it).  The resale value is very low and I can give it to someone who can still use it for local travel.  Many have told me that I am foolish for keeping my cars for so long, but for over 40 years this is a strategy that has worked for me.  I see no reason to change my approach now...

I spent three days working to put up the Christmas lights so our family could share in our annual "turning on the of the lights" on Thanksgiving evening.  I had tested all the lights before placing them in their appropriate places and I thought everything was "good to go."  But on Thanksgiving morning I decided to do a final test and one whole section of lights failed to shine.  I was frustrated and ready to throw away several strings of lights and purchase new ones.  But then my son and family arrived and my son had a different perspective on the problem...

Sometimes the quest for mental health is a complex and arduous pursuit.  There are times when trauma, stress, affliction, illness, and complex family issues make the attainment of mental balance a challenge.  But there are also times when our mental health and perspective can be greatly effected by a very simple discipline:  having a daily "quiet time"...

My grandson is running "cross country" this year.  In his very first race he ran two miles in 14 minutes and 21 seconds. He didn't come in first but he finished in the top 20 (in a field of 100).  We (parents and grandparents) were very pleased with his first performance and glad to see him taking on a new discipline.  His effort also reminded me that the Bible has much to say about "running" and the lessons this discipline teaches us about life...

A terrible wind storm came through the Tulsa area several weeks ago.  The result was over 100,000 homes with out electricity, some for over a week.  Other homes sustained more permanent damage.
This picture is an actual home of a family in our church.  The winds not only blew off branches, it blew a tree down onto their house!  Now our church has a "chain saw" gang that can work on downed branches and assist families who have yard debris.  But this job was way beyond their capabilities.  The weight of the tree (and the precarious nature of it's landing on the roof) made any attempt to try to work on it a dangerous situation.  There are simply times when experts are needed....

Wednesday, April 19, was a wonderful day in the life of Sapulpa 1st Methodist Church as we celebrated the 100 birthday of Jackie Robertson.  Jackie has been a "professing member" of our church since 1931 (her chronological member number is "5"!) and her contribution to the life of the church (and the Sapulpa community) has been beyond measure.  At a dinner in her honor, she was joined by some 40 family members, over 100 members of our church, and many special guests and friends.  Highlights of the evening included Jackie being awarded a certificate recognizing her as an official member of the Oklahoma Centenarian Society.  She was also honored by letters from state representatives, officials of the Cherokee Nation, and the singing of the National Anthem (in Cherokee) by one of her grandsons.  A very special moment was when she rose to address those who were gathered.  

Sometimes we fail to recognize it, but each of us find great resources from the legacy and heritage of special people who have gone before us.  For each of us there are people who have:  inspired us, taught us, encouraged us, and have been role models for us of what it means to live life well.  Most of our Heritage members are people who have faced numerous trials and struggles in their life and they have done so with fortitude and grace.  They are, for us, a true example of how we should live.

​So, if you are facing a life challenge or trial, remember people like Jackie.  Give thanks to God for the resources of faith that were planted in your life by people who have gone before you.  Draw upon their wisdom, be inspired by their example, and be strengthened by the knowledge that God walks with us just as he has walked with so many who have gone before us.