Today I had lunch with Paul Ervin, executive director of the Foundation for Evangelism and Hal Knight and Doug Powe. We were doing some pre-planning for the Brian McLaren visit to Saint Paul as part of the Wallace Chappell lectureship in April. As I anticipated, I greatly enjoyed our lunch---the positive energy created working on these issues just sort of propelled me through the day. As we were leaving, I told Paul about the image of Sallman's painting, Christ at Heart's Door" that I have been using at the charge conferences (..I say that maybe Christ is at our local church's door inviting us to unlatch the door and come out with him to be with the younger adults in our communities...thank you, Tom Frank for this sermon illustration from annual conference many years ago!) Paul listened to me intently and then said, "God is with you, girl." I consider that just about the most affirming thing I've had said to me in quite sometime. There are times, like tonight at a charge conference when I gave my "devotion/rah-rah/let's raise our consciences around younger adults" talk at Richmond, the "goosebump" factor makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I am not sure that that is always a sign of the Holy Spirit's presence, but then again, sometimes it is...tonight, I really knew God was with me when I asked those present to covenant with me about praying for the younger adults of their community. I suddenly kicked into a difference gear--my voice became more intense, I found myself saying something like, "but don't you dare pray unless you expect something to happen; and don't you pray unless you really are willing to live out the implications of what that prayer is"...and the folks really were listening. A good evening, and one particularly sweet seasoning was hearing the report, in person, from Rev. Arnold Burns, 96, a retired pastor who relates to the congregation, still does shut in calls at his nursing home, and was licensed as a preacher in 1937. Two years before the north and south churches reunited. Wow.
1 comment:
Susan,
If you look at your last two blogs you will see how the Holy Spirit sustains. Wesley did not want to join Whitfield in Bristol as he thought preaching outdoors was abhorant. Yet upon trial of this strange and outrageous outreach he discovered salvation occurs in the "fields" of God's planting. You having been willing to "be more vile" and walked into a rich (no pun intended) harvest. The Spirit is affirming your message, so preach on!
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