From the Pastor

September 2008

Here is a newsflash: I like to ride my bike. When I do, I either ride near my house out beyond Prairie High School or on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. I am very familiar with both of these routes. I think I know every bump, every tree and plant, every uphill and downhill part, and even the way the sun hits my path at certain times of the day.

When I go for a ride, I always take safety into account. I wear a helmet. I wear gloves. I wear sunglasses that not only shade my eyes but also keep out dust and dirt. I carry my cell phone and a mini-tire pump. I have a tag on my shoe identifying me and listing my emergency contact numbers. Generally, I know well where I am going, and I am safe as I can be. However…

There are times when unexpected things happen. Animals—squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, even deer and snakes—dart across my path. Birds dive bomb my head. Unusually dressed people come my way (Or undressed, as the case may be. If you have not heard this story yet, ask!) I have been surprised by rain showers.

As well as I know the routes, sometimes I face a challenge or an obstacle that I could not have foreseen. As safe as I try to be, sometimes I fall off the bike at least once each season. Most of the time, things go perfectly smoothly, but there are times when they do not.

This could be a broad metaphor for life, of course, but I think it also might be a useful way for a congregation to think about an upcoming time of building expansion and construction.

We have gotten to this point through careful study and planning. We have assured, to the best of our ability, that we are able to take on this project and its costs. We have tried to make plans for what we will do when we are under construction, and we will continue to modify such plans as the need arises. We have laid out a path, and we have tried to be as "safe" as possible along the way. However…

There will be obstacles. There will be unexpected delays. There may even be moments when we think "What are we doing?" "Will this ever be finished?" and "Well, we never thought of that!" And it will also be the case that no one—not one single person here—will be 100% happy with the process or the end result. However…

The Holy Spirit has been present at every step along the way; in fact, it is the Spirit that put us on this path in the first place. If we can keep that in mind, if we can remind each other of that and celebrate that presence, we will move through this process as easily as possible. If we can remember that we are all on the same path, moving toward the same goal—the completion of our better equipped central place of ministry—we will succeed. At the end of this journey, we will look back and be grateful for the chance we have been given to deliberate, plan, pray, and to expand our ministries together, both in our building and beyond.

So, put on your hard hat and get on the path, because here we go…together with God and each other

In Christ,
Pastor Brenda