Winter is A'Comin

As I’m typing this, the cold wind is beating the wall behind me as it wraps itself around my house.  It is a cold, windy and rainy day with threats of our first snow tonight.  Just a dusting but still the first in-your-face truth that winter is a’comin.  I am not a winter fan.  If I were in control of weather (which I clearly am not), I would order snow on December 24th and have it melt on December 26th.  Then the tempature would shoot right back up.  Yes, I know I have the option of moving to warmer climates but my family lives right here and they outweigh 3-4 months of cold weather hands down.

I know I have not been very faithful this past month with the blogging.  I’ve been taking a little break from writing and blogging as I focus on other things.  It is a busy as usual but not as bad as it has been the last couple of years.  I’m spending some amazing time with my youth and enjoying my ministry with them more than I have in awhile.  They haven’t changed.  They have always been and still are awesome! I’m able to enjoy them more when I’m not overwhelmed with administrative responsibilities at the church.

Big news in the last few weeks:

1.  We had our youth fall retreat last weekend at Logan Valley and it was an amazing weekend.  We had such a great time just being together as family and enjoying God’s amazing creation at Logan Valley.  It is simply gorgeous there.  Even more, God did some amazing things in all of us and it was a great spiritual retreat for all of us.

2. My nephew continues to secure his place as the cutest two-year-old in America.:) He is at a fun age and I’m enjoying playing with him and communicating with him.

3. The church that I work for was officially kicked out of the Missouri Baptist Convention for being "bad" Baptists.  Specifically, the MBC passed a resolution last year that all members of the MBC must be singlely-aligned with the MBC/SBC.  My church is not and even if we were, we believe strongly – as Baptists historically have – in local church autonomy.  The MBC works for the churches – we don’t work for them. So, after several years of grieving and conflicts, we are no longer MBC/SBC.  And I’m glad.  I disagree strongly and am saddened by so much that has happened in the SBC and the destructive reputation they have given the Baptist denomination and Christianity in general.  So, farewell to those past relationships.  I pray that God will heal and I know that God will bring great things out of this – which God has already done.

4. A major election with election results that were pleasantly surprising.

Otherwise, I’ve just been taking life one day at a time and enjoying God’s faithfulness through it all.  God is the God of Hope and as Advent approaches there isn’t a better season in the Church to remember this truth.

Peace – Melissa