A Pastor's Thoughts on a Snow Day…
“Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life… There is nothing else.” Dallas Willard
I have been stressing throughout the day about whether or not we should have in-person church services tomorrow. I feel the pull and tug of opinions from people on both sides. At the end of the day, I know no matter what decision I make, some will disagree with it. What a metaphor for life. We will never please everyone.
As I weighed the pros and cons and tried to decide who I wanted to disappoint less, my wife encouraged me to stop stressing and pray (great advice if I say so myself). It took me about 60-seconds in prayer to be reminded of a very simple truth. The One I should be seeking to please the most is God. So, what decision would God have me to make? I think as your pastor, He would have me make a decision that disciples you towards Him.
I have decided to cancel in-person services. Even if many of the roads are clear by the morning, most of us will have to spend lots of time and frantic energy getting our driveways shoveled and our cars ready to drive. I want to encourage you to use this weather as an opportunity to slow down and spend quality time in the presence of God in prayer, worship, and the Scriptures. Leave the snow on your cars and driveways for a few extra hours, pause, breathe, and rest in God’s love for you! (When’s the last time you actually did this?)
I love the quote at the top of this post. Our culture is consumed by hurry and anxiety. Our calendars are full of obligations and responsibilities and if we’re honest, God often get’s the leftovers. Although, I believe the physical gathering of believers is an extremely important part of our life with God, so is intentional, quiet, alone time with God. Rather than risking having so many of us out on the iffy road conditions, I want to encourage all of us to invest these few extra hours to seek God’s heart.
God has given us the gift of a winter storm which is the one thing that seems to actually slow our culture down. May we redeem this gift by spending intentional time in silence and solitude with God. May we use a few extra hours stuck at home to spend quality time with our families. May we look for opportunities to serve our neighbors with the love of Christ in tangible ways.
Lastly, our staff has put together an online worship service. We would love it if you could join us online at 10:00am. But no matter what you do with your extra time tomorrow, I pray that you would use it to seek after God.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other… Fear the LORD your God, serve him only” Matthew 6:24a & Deuteronomy 6:13a
Love,
Pastor Ryan
I have been stressing throughout the day about whether or not we should have in-person church services tomorrow. I feel the pull and tug of opinions from people on both sides. At the end of the day, I know no matter what decision I make, some will disagree with it. What a metaphor for life. We will never please everyone.
As I weighed the pros and cons and tried to decide who I wanted to disappoint less, my wife encouraged me to stop stressing and pray (great advice if I say so myself). It took me about 60-seconds in prayer to be reminded of a very simple truth. The One I should be seeking to please the most is God. So, what decision would God have me to make? I think as your pastor, He would have me make a decision that disciples you towards Him.
I have decided to cancel in-person services. Even if many of the roads are clear by the morning, most of us will have to spend lots of time and frantic energy getting our driveways shoveled and our cars ready to drive. I want to encourage you to use this weather as an opportunity to slow down and spend quality time in the presence of God in prayer, worship, and the Scriptures. Leave the snow on your cars and driveways for a few extra hours, pause, breathe, and rest in God’s love for you! (When’s the last time you actually did this?)
I love the quote at the top of this post. Our culture is consumed by hurry and anxiety. Our calendars are full of obligations and responsibilities and if we’re honest, God often get’s the leftovers. Although, I believe the physical gathering of believers is an extremely important part of our life with God, so is intentional, quiet, alone time with God. Rather than risking having so many of us out on the iffy road conditions, I want to encourage all of us to invest these few extra hours to seek God’s heart.
God has given us the gift of a winter storm which is the one thing that seems to actually slow our culture down. May we redeem this gift by spending intentional time in silence and solitude with God. May we use a few extra hours stuck at home to spend quality time with our families. May we look for opportunities to serve our neighbors with the love of Christ in tangible ways.
Lastly, our staff has put together an online worship service. We would love it if you could join us online at 10:00am. But no matter what you do with your extra time tomorrow, I pray that you would use it to seek after God.
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other… Fear the LORD your God, serve him only” Matthew 6:24a & Deuteronomy 6:13a
Love,
Pastor Ryan
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